Preserving the productivity of agricultural land over the long term requires sustainable food production. Sustainability is achieved through agricultural practices informed by in-depth knowledge of the ecological processes occurring in farm fields and the larger landscapes of which they are a part. From this foundation, we can move towards the social and economic changes that promote sustainability of all sectors of the food system.
Sustainability has important ecological foundations.
Examples are presented from research designed to measure ecological components of sustainability. The connection between specific ecosystem characteristics and sustainable agroecosystem function is explored. Ecologically sustainable management of agroecosystems enhances their productivity without depleting nutrient resources or increasing nutrient loss to the environment. Under real-world management conditions, the biogeochemical processes that control yields, nutrient depletion, and environmental health are highly heterogeneous across agricultural landscapes. These tools can be used by farmers, ecologists, and land use planners to identify sources of environmental problems and to indicate viable pathways toward their solution.