Agroecology: principles and strategies for designing sustainable farming systems

The concept of sustainable agriculture is a relatively recent response to the decline in the quality of the natural resource base associated with modern agriculture (McIsaac and Edwards 1994). Today, the question of agricultural production has evolved from a purely technical one to a more complex one characterized by social, cultural, political and economic dimensions. The concept of sustainability although controversial and diffuse due to existing conflicting definitions and interpretations of its meaning, is useful because it captures a set of concerns about agriculture which is conceived as the result of the coevolution of socioeconomic and natural systems (Reijntjes et al. 1992). A wider understanding of the agricultural context requires the study between agriculture, the global environment and social systems given that agricultural development results from the complex interaction of a multitude of factors. It is through this deeper understanding of the ecology of agricultural systems that doors will open to new management options more in tune with the objectives of a truly sustainable agriculture.