Sustainable Food Production Includes Human and Environmental Health [Hardcover]

Agroecology not only encompasses aspects of ecology, but the ecology of sustainable food production systems, and related societal and cultural values. To provide effective communication regarding status and advances in this field, connections must be established with many disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, environmental sciences, ethics, agriculture, economics, ecology, rural development, sustainability, policy and education, or integrations of these general themes so as to provide integrated points of view that will help lead to a sustainable construction of values. Such designs are inherently complex and dynamic, and go beyond the individual farm to include landscapes, communities, and biogeographic regions by emphasizing their unique agricultural and ecological values, and their biological, societal, and cultural components and processes.

With concise reviews of the key issues in agroecology, this book identifies the complex problems that must be tackled in order to progress towards improved sustainability in food production. If features the work of many of the leading authorities in the field.

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Biosketches of Editors and Contributing Authors
Chapter 1: The Trading and Use of Agrochemicals; Peter Hough
1. The Rise of Agrochemicals and Their Benefits to Humanity
2. Problems Associated with Agrochemicals
3. Limiting Agrochemical Use - Integrated Pest Management
Conclusions
References
Chapter 2: Critical Evaluation of Genetic Manipulation for Improved Productivity: Is This a Sustainable Agenda; Bruno Borsari, Davide Neri, Gianna Ferretti, Stefano Tavoletti, Wei-Choun Yu
1. Introduction: Agricultural Paradigms
2. Agriculture, Biotechnology and Biodiversity
3. Genetically Modified Crops, Biofuels and Sustainable Agriculture in the United States
4. The Ethical SociolÖ