- Email: [email protected]
Agroecosystems analysis
334
Book reviews / Agricultural Systems 83 (2005) 329–339
Agroecosystems analysis, D. Rickerl, C. Francis (Eds.). American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America Publishers, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 2004, 207 pp. Price: US$ 90 (hardback). ISBN 0-89118-153-9 The objective of this ASA-CSSA-SSSA monograph is to provide an overview of the current state of science of agroecology. The editors and authors intend for the book to serve as both a professional research reference and a textbook for advanced undergraduates or graduate students. Each chapter contains study questions and the monograph concludes with a glossary and subject index. In the introductory chapter the editors define agroecology as ‘‘the ecology of food systems’’ and emphasise that multidimensional thinking is a prerequisite to agroecology. According to the editors, agricultural systems should be approached at different spatial levels to understand the role of biological and geochemical reactions, of soil and climate, as well as of human participants. The multidimensional view of these levels is at the heart of this book. In Chapter, 2 S. Gliessman discusses four emergent qualities of ecosystems (energy flow, nutrient cycling, population regulation and dynamic equilibrium) and how these are altered as ecosystems are converted to agroecosystems. He proposes these qualities as indicators of agroecosystem sustainability and further suggests: ‘‘the greater the structural and functional similarity of an agroecosystem to the natural ecosystems in its biogeographical region, the greater the likelihood that the agroecosystem will be sustainable’’. Converting an agroecosystem to a more sustainable design is a complex process and the author proposes a comprehensive list of guiding principles for working through this transition. Chapter 3 by C. Francis explores soil dynamics, plant nutrition and soil quality across a range of levels of spatial scales, ranging from soil micro-organisms through whole-farm nutrient balances to global nutrient cycles and dynamics. The author concludes that more research attention is needed on systems at the higher levels of spatial scales beyond the plant and the field level. In Chapter 4, C. Nicholls and M. Altieri focus on the design of species-rich, pest-suppressive agroecosystems through habitat management. The authors point out that ecosystem services depend on the maintenance of ecological diversity and integrity. When these natural services are lost due to biological simplification, the economic and environmental costs can be significant. The chapter explores ways in which biodiversity can contribute to the design of pest-stable ecosystems by creating an appropriate ecological infrastructure within and around cropping systems. The authors supply sets of ecological guidelines for the design of biodiverse, pest-suppressive agroecosystems in general and for habitat diversification and enhancement in particular. R. Janke explores several approaches to whole-farm planning and analysis in Chapter 5. She discusses tools for economic analysis, tools for nutrient and soil management as well as sustainability indices and current approaches to natural resource assessment on farms. The author concludes that the farmer will need a combination of tools and approaches. Multifunctional economic analysis is the subject presented by T. Dobbs in Chapter 6. This interesting presentation of a multifunctional approach to agricultural policy is one of the rare chapters in the book which not only
Book reviews / Agricultural Systems 83 (2005) 329–339
335
draws upon experiences from North America, but also has a look at developments in Europe. A multifunctional approach explicitly acknowledges that agriculture has several functions in addition to producing food and fibre, as it also can provide goods and services that are ecological (e.g., clean water, wildlife habitat, scenic landscapes, flood protection) and social (rural employment) in nature. The importance of social capital and the dynamics of rural communities are discussed in their many dimensions by C. Flora in Chapter 7. The author points out that social capital can either enhance or detract from ecosystem health. She describes eight basic processes that both build ‘‘entrepreneurial social infrastructure’’ and healthy agroecosystems. In Chapter 8, T. Schumacher and D. Rickerl present conservation within agricultural landscapes, which they define as the planned, organised management, use, protection, and maintenance of agricultural landscapes, with the objective of supporting essential physical, chemical, biological, and socio-cultural functions of a sustainable agroecosystem. In their view, the challenge to agroecology is to devise methods and practices that optimise these functions, without seriously compromising the environment and economics of human-managed areas. In Chapter 9, R. Caldwell explores the idea that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology should be a necessary part of modern agroecological research and education. The author proposes that GIS technology could foster an increase in crop landscape diversity, as farmers identify sections within fields that are never profitable under current management but may be adapted for other land uses, for example, the incorporation of zones of grasses or trees. C. Francis, L. Salomonsson, G. Lieblein and J. Helenius (Chapter 10) look at the way in which rural landscapes and agricultural systems can serve multiple needs. Building on examples from both the USA and northern Europe, the authors conclude that society should pay for services that rural landscapes provide for the common good, such as flood prevention, carbon capture, and clean air and water. F. Kirschenmann examines the need for a new ethic for agriculture in Chapter 11. He states that we need neither an ethic that values production over everything else, nor an ethic that seeks to keep everything as it is. The author feels that agriculture should be conducted in a way that makes a decent life for humans possible, while retaining the ecological dynamics that sustain all life on the planet. In the final chapter entitled ‘‘Ecology of food systems: visions for the future’’, C. Francis and D. Rickerl summarise the ideas presented in the book by examining alternative approaches for the future across a hierarchy of spatial scale. The authors conclude that research and extension funding strategies should be reevaluated, giving more emphasis to those using holistic and balanced approaches to achieve sustainability. This book provides a valuable introduction to agroecosystem analysis from a largely North-American point of view. The book is well written and highly accessible to an audience not familiar with agroecosystem analysis. However, readers who are already familiar with the subject may feel some disappointment by the approach of the book, which emphasises general ideas and common sense and presents a relative lack of quantitative analysis. This can be exemplified by an analysis in Chapter 10, where the authors compare a global food chain to a local food system and conclude that the
336
Book reviews / Agricultural Systems 83 (2005) 329–339
local food system will obviously be preferable from the environmental point of view. This may well be true, but many readers would have benefited from a more detailed discussion developing a quantitative analysis using an appropriate approach, such as Life Cycle Analysis. Many studies in the field of environmental assessment have shown that qualitative reasoning and common sense can be the initial approach, but they need to be complemented by a quantitative analysis. Hayo M.G. van der Werf Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique UMR INRA-ENSAR Sol, Agronomie et Spatialisation 65, rue de Saint Brieuc – CS 84215, 35042 Rennes Cedex France Tel.: +33 2 23 48 57 09; fax: +33 223485630 E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2004.08.006
Syrian agriculture at the crossroads. FAO agricultural policy and economic development series 8, Fiorillo, C., Vercueil, J. (Eds.). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy, 2003, 462 pp. Price: US$68(softback). ISBN 92-5104990-4 Wise agricultural policies are needed in every country of the world because of the continuous rise in population, which results in a continuous increase in demand for food and water. Such need is more evident in countries where agriculture is a major component of its national economy. This book addresses the present agricultural status in Syria and a future vision that would make a smoother transition of the Syrian economy to the open market. The subject matter of the book is divided into three main parts, each of which encompasses five chapters. These parts deal respectively with the agricultural sector as a major component in the Syrian economy, the economics of the major agricultural sub-sectors in Syria, and some characteristics of inputs markets and production factors for Syrian agriculture. The first five chapters discuss agriculture in the macroeconomic context, trade and agriculture, private investment in agriculture, agriculture and food policies, Syrian agricultural polices and the environment. Chapters six to ten discuss the economics of the strategic crops in Syria, including olive oil and citrus, and livestock and their processing and marketing. The last five chapters converse the structural and institutional features of the Syrian agricultural producers, land tenure and labor relations, irrigation water polices, agricultural inputs and market liberalization, and the agricultural credit system. This book is well organized, enjoyable to read, and full of useful details about the current status of the Syrian agricultural sector and future polices that might result in
Book reviews / Agricultural Systems 83 (2005) 329–339
Agroecosystems analysis, D. Rickerl, C. Francis (Eds.). American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America Publishers, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 2004, 207 pp. Price: US$ 90 (hardback). ISBN 0-89118-153-9 The objective of this ASA-CSSA-SSSA monograph is to provide an overview of the current state of science of agroecology. The editors and authors intend for the book to serve as both a professional research reference and a textbook for advanced undergraduates or graduate students. Each chapter contains study questions and the monograph concludes with a glossary and subject index. In the introductory chapter the editors define agroecology as ‘‘the ecology of food systems’’ and emphasise that multidimensional thinking is a prerequisite to agroecology. According to the editors, agricultural systems should be approached at different spatial levels to understand the role of biological and geochemical reactions, of soil and climate, as well as of human participants. The multidimensional view of these levels is at the heart of this book. In Chapter, 2 S. Gliessman discusses four emergent qualities of ecosystems (energy flow, nutrient cycling, population regulation and dynamic equilibrium) and how these are altered as ecosystems are converted to agroecosystems. He proposes these qualities as indicators of agroecosystem sustainability and further suggests: ‘‘the greater the structural and functional similarity of an agroecosystem to the natural ecosystems in its biogeographical region, the greater the likelihood that the agroecosystem will be sustainable’’. Converting an agroecosystem to a more sustainable design is a complex process and the author proposes a comprehensive list of guiding principles for working through this transition. Chapter 3 by C. Francis explores soil dynamics, plant nutrition and soil quality across a range of levels of spatial scales, ranging from soil micro-organisms through whole-farm nutrient balances to global nutrient cycles and dynamics. The author concludes that more research attention is needed on systems at the higher levels of spatial scales beyond the plant and the field level. In Chapter 4, C. Nicholls and M. Altieri focus on the design of species-rich, pest-suppressive agroecosystems through habitat management. The authors point out that ecosystem services depend on the maintenance of ecological diversity and integrity. When these natural services are lost due to biological simplification, the economic and environmental costs can be significant. The chapter explores ways in which biodiversity can contribute to the design of pest-stable ecosystems by creating an appropriate ecological infrastructure within and around cropping systems. The authors supply sets of ecological guidelines for the design of biodiverse, pest-suppressive agroecosystems in general and for habitat diversification and enhancement in particular. R. Janke explores several approaches to whole-farm planning and analysis in Chapter 5. She discusses tools for economic analysis, tools for nutrient and soil management as well as sustainability indices and current approaches to natural resource assessment on farms. The author concludes that the farmer will need a combination of tools and approaches. Multifunctional economic analysis is the subject presented by T. Dobbs in Chapter 6. This interesting presentation of a multifunctional approach to agricultural policy is one of the rare chapters in the book which not only
Book reviews / Agricultural Systems 83 (2005) 329–339
335
draws upon experiences from North America, but also has a look at developments in Europe. A multifunctional approach explicitly acknowledges that agriculture has several functions in addition to producing food and fibre, as it also can provide goods and services that are ecological (e.g., clean water, wildlife habitat, scenic landscapes, flood protection) and social (rural employment) in nature. The importance of social capital and the dynamics of rural communities are discussed in their many dimensions by C. Flora in Chapter 7. The author points out that social capital can either enhance or detract from ecosystem health. She describes eight basic processes that both build ‘‘entrepreneurial social infrastructure’’ and healthy agroecosystems. In Chapter 8, T. Schumacher and D. Rickerl present conservation within agricultural landscapes, which they define as the planned, organised management, use, protection, and maintenance of agricultural landscapes, with the objective of supporting essential physical, chemical, biological, and socio-cultural functions of a sustainable agroecosystem. In their view, the challenge to agroecology is to devise methods and practices that optimise these functions, without seriously compromising the environment and economics of human-managed areas. In Chapter 9, R. Caldwell explores the idea that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology should be a necessary part of modern agroecological research and education. The author proposes that GIS technology could foster an increase in crop landscape diversity, as farmers identify sections within fields that are never profitable under current management but may be adapted for other land uses, for example, the incorporation of zones of grasses or trees. C. Francis, L. Salomonsson, G. Lieblein and J. Helenius (Chapter 10) look at the way in which rural landscapes and agricultural systems can serve multiple needs. Building on examples from both the USA and northern Europe, the authors conclude that society should pay for services that rural landscapes provide for the common good, such as flood prevention, carbon capture, and clean air and water. F. Kirschenmann examines the need for a new ethic for agriculture in Chapter 11. He states that we need neither an ethic that values production over everything else, nor an ethic that seeks to keep everything as it is. The author feels that agriculture should be conducted in a way that makes a decent life for humans possible, while retaining the ecological dynamics that sustain all life on the planet. In the final chapter entitled ‘‘Ecology of food systems: visions for the future’’, C. Francis and D. Rickerl summarise the ideas presented in the book by examining alternative approaches for the future across a hierarchy of spatial scale. The authors conclude that research and extension funding strategies should be reevaluated, giving more emphasis to those using holistic and balanced approaches to achieve sustainability. This book provides a valuable introduction to agroecosystem analysis from a largely North-American point of view. The book is well written and highly accessible to an audience not familiar with agroecosystem analysis. However, readers who are already familiar with the subject may feel some disappointment by the approach of the book, which emphasises general ideas and common sense and presents a relative lack of quantitative analysis. This can be exemplified by an analysis in Chapter 10, where the authors compare a global food chain to a local food system and conclude that the
336
Book reviews / Agricultural Systems 83 (2005) 329–339
local food system will obviously be preferable from the environmental point of view. This may well be true, but many readers would have benefited from a more detailed discussion developing a quantitative analysis using an appropriate approach, such as Life Cycle Analysis. Many studies in the field of environmental assessment have shown that qualitative reasoning and common sense can be the initial approach, but they need to be complemented by a quantitative analysis. Hayo M.G. van der Werf Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique UMR INRA-ENSAR Sol, Agronomie et Spatialisation 65, rue de Saint Brieuc – CS 84215, 35042 Rennes Cedex France Tel.: +33 2 23 48 57 09; fax: +33 223485630 E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2004.08.006
Syrian agriculture at the crossroads. FAO agricultural policy and economic development series 8, Fiorillo, C., Vercueil, J. (Eds.). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy, 2003, 462 pp. Price: US$68(softback). ISBN 92-5104990-4 Wise agricultural policies are needed in every country of the world because of the continuous rise in population, which results in a continuous increase in demand for food and water. Such need is more evident in countries where agriculture is a major component of its national economy. This book addresses the present agricultural status in Syria and a future vision that would make a smoother transition of the Syrian economy to the open market. The subject matter of the book is divided into three main parts, each of which encompasses five chapters. These parts deal respectively with the agricultural sector as a major component in the Syrian economy, the economics of the major agricultural sub-sectors in Syria, and some characteristics of inputs markets and production factors for Syrian agriculture. The first five chapters discuss agriculture in the macroeconomic context, trade and agriculture, private investment in agriculture, agriculture and food policies, Syrian agricultural polices and the environment. Chapters six to ten discuss the economics of the strategic crops in Syria, including olive oil and citrus, and livestock and their processing and marketing. The last five chapters converse the structural and institutional features of the Syrian agricultural producers, land tenure and labor relations, irrigation water polices, agricultural inputs and market liberalization, and the agricultural credit system. This book is well organized, enjoyable to read, and full of useful details about the current status of the Syrian agricultural sector and future polices that might result in