Using an Agroecological Approach to Farming Systems Research

Agroecological Farming Systems

The term agroecology refers to ecosystems. Ecosystems are characterised by aspects such as nutrient cycling, population regulation, energy flows and a dynamic equilibrium. These characteristics apply to natural ecosystems, and, in a much altered form, also to manmade or agricultural ecosystems. The magnitude of the differences between natural and agricultural ecosystems depends mainly on the hu...

An Integral Approach to Agroecological Research

Farming Systems Research: an Evolutionary Approach to Implementation

) the utilisation of the other NFS data: on net household income (which, although reducing the usable sample of Survey households by about 40070, may provide a better guide to pure income effects); on the age (particularly of children) and sex of the household members; on the occupation and industry of earners; on price movements during the calendar year; and on the extent of free supplies avai...

Diversified Farming Systems: An Agroecological, Systems-based Alternative to Modern Industrial Agriculture

This Special Issue on Diversified Farming Systems is motivated by a desire to understand how agriculture designed according to whole systems, agroecological principles can contribute to creating a more sustainable, socially just, and secure global food system. We first define Diversified Farming Systems (DFS) as farming practices and landscapes that intentionally include functional biodiversity...

An approach to valuing ponds within farming systems for aquaculture

water is an unconventional economic good because it is:-a 'fugitive' and re-usable good,-a public good and often under common property regime,-a stochastically supplied and distributed resource,-subject to economies of scale in provision,-essential to plant and animal life, with no substitute,-associated with many non-market environmental qualities and values. In the context of arid and semi-ar...