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The Farm As Ecosystem
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Book Synopsis The Farm as Ecosystem by : Jerry Brunetti
Download or read book The Farm as Ecosystem written by Jerry Brunetti and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nature is complex, elegant, and infinite in its wisdom. Farmers who are truly successful learn nature¿s many facets and her intricate dance; they crack the code of how to honor and feed this boundless natural system while coaxing the production needed for the survival of a modern farm. Natural product formulator and farm consultant Jerry Brunetti wraps together a lifetime of learning and his uncanny observations in this fascinating volume on the interconnected dynamics in place on a farm ¿ the farm¿s geology, biology, and diversity of life forms. Learn to look at ¿ and manage ¿ your farm very differently through gaining a deeper understanding of the complementary roles of all facets of your farm. With his unique perspective the author takes readers on an advanced journey through a farming ecosystem describing it with principles, stories, facts and science . . . and dotted throughout with realworld advice. This is a book which will be enjoyable to browse while rich enough to want to have a highlighter in hand.
Book Synopsis The Farm as Natural Habitat by : Dana L. Jackson
Download or read book The Farm as Natural Habitat written by Dana L. Jackson and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2002-04 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Farm as Natural Habitat is a vital new contribution to the debate about agriculture and its impacts on the land. Arising from the conviction that the agricultural landscape as a whole could be restored to a healthy diversity, the book challenges the notion that the dominant agricultural landscape -- bereft of its original vegetation and wildlife and despoiled by chemical runoff -- is inevitable if we are to feed ourselves. Contributors bring together insights and practices from the fields of conservation biology, sustainable agriculture, and environmental restoration to link agriculture and biodiversity, farming and nature, in celebrating a unique alternative to conventional agriculture.Rejecting the idea that "ecological sacrifice zones" are a necessary part of feeding a hungry world, the book offers compelling examples of an alternative agriculture that can produce not only healthful food, but fully functioning ecosystems and abundant populations of native species. Contributors include Collin Bode, George Boody, Brian DeVore, Arthur (Tex) Hawkins, Buddy Huffaker, Rhonda Janke, Richard Jefferson, Nick Jordan, Cheryl Miller, Heather Robertson, Carol Shennan, Judith Soule, Beth Waterhouse, and others.The Farm as Natural Habitat is both hopeful and visionary, grounded in real examples, and guided by a commitment to healthy land and thriving communities. It is the first book to offer a viable approach to addressing the challenges of protecting and restoring biodiversity on private agricultural land and is essential reading for anyone concerned with issues of land or biodiversity conservation, farming and agriculture, ecological restoration, or the health of rural communities and landscapes.
Book Synopsis Ecosystem Services in Agricultural and Urban Landscapes by : Stephen Wratten
Download or read book Ecosystem Services in Agricultural and Urban Landscapes written by Stephen Wratten and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-01-14 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecosystem services are the resources and processes supplied by natural ecosystems which benefit humankind (for example, pollination of crops by insects, or water filtration by wetlands). They underpin life on earth, provide major inputs to many economic sectors and support our lifestyles. Agricultural and urban areas are by far the largest users of ecosystems and their services and (for the first time) this book explores the role that ecosystem services play in these managed environments. The book also explores methods of evaluating ecosystem services, and discusses how these services can be maintained and enhanced in our farmlands and cities. This book will be useful to students and researchers from a variety of fields, including applied ecology, environmental economics, agriculture and forestry, and also to local and regional planners and policy makers.
Download or read book Silvopasture written by Steve Gabriel and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2018 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this how-to guide, ecologist and forest farmer Steve Gabriel explores the philosophy and techniques behind silvopasture - the integration of trees, animals, and forages in a whole-system approach that creates a number of benefits for livestock, farmers, and the environment. This system not only provides a sustainable farm income, but also holds the key to restoring land, building soil carbon, and creating climate resilience.--COVER.
Book Synopsis Managing Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems by : Devra Ivy Jarvis
Download or read book Managing Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems written by Devra Ivy Jarvis and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes how farmers manage, maintain, and benefit from biodiversity in agricultural production systems. Includes the most recent research and developments in the maintenance of local diversity at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels.
Book Synopsis Agroecosystem Diversity by : Gilles Lemaire
Download or read book Agroecosystem Diversity written by Gilles Lemaire and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-10-08 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agro-Ecosystem Diversity: Impact on Food Security and Environmental Quality presents cutting-edge exploration of developing novel farming systems and introduces landscape ecology to agronomy. It encompasses the broad range of links between agricultural development and ecological impact and how to limit the potential negative results. Presented in seven sections, each focusing on a specific challenge to sustaining diversity, the book provides insights toward the argument that by re-introducing diversity, it should be possible to maintain a high level of productivity of agro-ecosystems while also maintaining and/or restoring a satisfactory level of environment quality and biodiversity. Demonstrates that diversified agro-ecosystems can be intensified with environmental quality preserved, restored and enhanced Includes analysis of economic constraints leading to specialization of farms and regions and the social locking forces resisting to diversification of agro-ecosystems Presents a global vision of world agriculture and the tradeoff between a necessary increase in food production and restoring environment quality
Download or read book Dirt to Soil written by Gabe Brown and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A regenerative no-till pioneer."—NBC News "We need to reintegrate livestock and crops on our farms and ranches, and Gabe Brown shows us how to do it well."—Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation See Gabe Brown—author and farmer—in the Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground Gabe Brown didn’t set out to change the world when he first started working alongside his father-in-law on the family farm in North Dakota. But as a series of weather-related crop disasters put Brown and his wife, Shelly, in desperate financial straits, they started making bold changes to their farm. Brown—in an effort to simply survive—began experimenting with new practices he’d learned about from reading and talking with innovative researchers and ranchers. As he and his family struggled to keep the farm viable, they found themselves on an amazing journey into a new type of farming: regenerative agriculture. Brown dropped the use of most of the herbicides, insecticides, and synthetic fertilizers that are a standard part of conventional agriculture. He switched to no-till planting, started planting diverse cover crops mixes, and changed his grazing practices. In so doing Brown transformed a degraded farm ecosystem into one full of life—starting with the soil and working his way up, one plant and one animal at a time. In Dirt to Soil Gabe Brown tells the story of that amazing journey and offers a wealth of innovative solutions to restoring the soil by laying out and explaining his "five principles of soil health," which are: Limited Disturbance Armor Diversity Living Roots Integrated Animals The Brown’s Ranch model, developed over twenty years of experimentation and refinement, focuses on regenerating resources by continuously enhancing the living biology in the soil. Using regenerative agricultural principles, Brown’s Ranch has grown several inches of new topsoil in only twenty years! The 5,000-acre ranch profitably produces a wide variety of cash crops and cover crops as well as grass-finished beef and lamb, pastured laying hens, broilers, and pastured pork, all marketed directly to consumers. The key is how we think, Brown says. In the industrial agricultural model, all thoughts are focused on killing things. But that mindset was also killing diversity, soil, and profit, Brown realized. Now he channels his creative thinking toward how he can get more life on the land—more plants, animals, and beneficial insects. “The greatest roadblock to solving a problem,” Brown says, “is the human mind.”
Book Synopsis Restoration Agriculture by : Mark Shepard
Download or read book Restoration Agriculture written by Mark Shepard and published by Acres U.S.A., Incorporated. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Around the globe most people get their calories from "annual" agriculture - plants that grow fast for one season, produce lots of seeds, then die. Every single human society that has relied on annual crops for staple foods has collapsed. Restoration Agriculture explains how we can have all of the benefits of natural, perennial ecosystems and create agricultural systems that imitate nature in form and function while still providing for our food, building, fuel and many other needs - in your own backyard, farm or ranch. This book, based on real-world practices, presents an alternative to the agriculture system of eradication and offers exciting hope for our future.
Book Synopsis The Ecology of Agroecosystems by : John Vandermeer
Download or read book The Ecology of Agroecosystems written by John Vandermeer and published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. This book was released on 2011 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of sustainable agricultural systems. The Ecology of Agroecosystems highlights a collection of alternative agricultural methodologies and philosophies and provides an interdisciplinary approach that bridges the sociopolitical and historical context of agriculture. It includes the technical issues in a serious and ecological fashion and captures the complex merging of ecology, agriculture, politics and economics in both a historical and contemporary context. Readers will learn not only about the ethical and moral elements related to producing food of questionable quality while possibly impairing the environment, but also about the soil chemistry involved.
Book Synopsis The Law and Policy of Ecosystem Services by : J. B. Ruhl
Download or read book The Law and Policy of Ecosystem Services written by J. B. Ruhl and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Law and Policy of Ecosystem Services is the first comprehensive exploration of the status and future of natural capital and ecosystem services in American law and policy. The book develops a framework for thinking about ecosystem services across their ecologic, geographic, economic, social, and legal dimensions and evaluates the prospects of crafting a legal infrastructure that can help build an ecosystem service economy that is as robust as existing economies for manufactured goods, natural resource commodities, and human-provided services. The book examines the geographic, ecological, and economic context of ecosystem services and provides a baseline of the current status of ecosystem services in law and society. It identifies shortcomings of current law and policy and the critical areas for improvement and forges an approach for the design of new law and policy for ecosystem services. Included are a series of nine empirical case studies that explore the problems caused by society’s failure to properly value natural capital. Among the case study topics considered are water issues, The Conservation Reserve Program, the National Conservation Buffer Initiative, the agricultural policy of the European Union, wetland mitigation, and pollution trading. The Law and Policy of Ecosystem Services is a groundbreaking look at the question of whether and how law and policy can shape a sustainable system of ecosystem service management. It is an accessible and informative work for faculty, students, and policy makers concerned with ecology, economics, geography, political science, environmental studies, law, and related fields.
Book Synopsis Nature and Farming by : David Andrew Norton
Download or read book Nature and Farming written by David Andrew Norton and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2013 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains why it is important to sustain native plants & animals in agricultural landscapes, outlines issues in developing & implementing practical approaches to safeguard native biodiversity in rural areas. Considers ecological & agricultural issues that determine what native biodiversity occurs in farmland.--
Book Synopsis The Farm That Feeds Us by : Nancy Castaldo
Download or read book The Farm That Feeds Us written by Nancy Castaldo and published by words & pictures. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 83 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where does our food come from? What role do farms play? What’s it like to be a farmer? In this charmingly illustrated book, follow a farm throughout the year to discover how the farmer grows fresh and tasty food for us to eat in a sustainable and natural way. Explore the workings of a small-scale, organic family farm and experience the rhythm of farm life. In the spring, visit the chicken coop, till the fields, and tour the farm machinery. When summer comes, plant corn, meet the pollinators, and head to the county fair. In the fall, make pies and preserves, harvest pumpkins, and put the fields to sleep. Winter activities include trimming and pruning the orchard, seed shopping, and baking bread. To conclude your year on the farm, learn what you can do to support the farmers who pick our carrots and raise the cows for our milk. A glossary defines key sustainable farming terms. Through this colorful and intimate look at life on a small-scale farm, children will learn not only how the farm feeds us, but how the farmer must feed and care for the farm.
Book Synopsis Large-Scale Ecosystem Restoration by : Mary Doyle
Download or read book Large-Scale Ecosystem Restoration written by Mary Doyle and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-06-22 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large-Scale Ecosystem Restoration presents case studies of five of the most noteworthy large-scale restoration projects in the United States: Chesapeake Bay, the Everglades, California Bay Delta, the Platte River Basin, and the Upper Mississippi River System. These projects embody current efforts to address ecosystem restoration in an integrative and dynamic manner, at large spatial scale, involving whole (or even multiple) watersheds, and with complex stakeholder and public roles. Representing a variety of geographic regions and project structures, the cases shed light on the central controversies that have marked each project, outlining • the history of the project • the environmental challenges that generated it • the difficulties of approaching the project on an ecosystem-wide basis • techniques for conflict resolution and consensus building • the ongoing role of science in decision making • the means of dealing with uncertainties A concluding chapter offers a guide to assessing the progress of largescale restoration projects. Large-Scale Ecosystem Restoration examines some of the most difficult and important issues involved in restoring and protecting natural systems. It is a landmark publication for scientists, policymakers, and anyone working to protect or restore landscapes or watersheds.
Book Synopsis Farming on the Wild Side by : Nancy J. Hayden
Download or read book Farming on the Wild Side written by Nancy J. Hayden and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2019-09-19 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One farm’s decades-long journey into regenerative agriculture—and how these methods enhance biodiversity, pollinators, and soil health Northern Vermont’s Nancy and John Hayden have spent the last 25 years transforming their draft horse–powered, organic vegetable and livestock operation into an agroecological, regenerative, biodiverse, organic fruit farm, fruit nursery, and pollinator sanctuary. In Farming on the Wild Side they explain the philosophical and scientific principles that influenced them as they phased out sheep and potatoes and embraced apples, pears, stone fruits, and a wide variety of uncommon berry crops; turned much of their property into a semi-wild state; and adapted their marketing and sales strategies to the new century. As the Haydens pursued their goals of enhancing biodiversity and regenerating their land, they incorporated agroforestry and permaculture principles into perennial fruit polycultures, a pollinator sanctuary, repurposed greenhouses for growing fruit, hügelkultur, and ecological “pest” management. Beyond the practical techniques and tips, this book also inspires readers to develop greater ecological literacy and respect for the mysteries of the global ecosystem. Farming on the Wild Side tells a story about new ways to manage small farms and homesteads, about nurturing land, about ecology, about economics, and about things that we can all do to heal both the land and ourselves.
Book Synopsis Managing Water and Agroecosystems for Food Security by : Eline Boelee
Download or read book Managing Water and Agroecosystems for Food Security written by Eline Boelee and published by CABI. This book was released on 2013 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water protection, food production and ecosystem health are worldwide issues. Changes in the global water cycle are affecting human well-being in many places, while widespread land and ecosystem degradation, driven by poor agricultural practices, is seriously limiting food production. Understanding the links between ecosystems, water, and food production is important to the health of all three, and sustainably managing these connections is becoming increasingly necessary. This book shows how sustainable ecosystems, especially agroecosystems, are essential for water management and food production.
Download or read book Our Farm written by Maya Gottfried and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2010 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of poems written from the prospective of past and present animal residents of Farm Sanctuary.
Book Synopsis The Role of Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Food Systems by : Leonard Rusinamhodzi
Download or read book The Role of Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Food Systems written by Leonard Rusinamhodzi and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-11-12 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Role of Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Food Systems reveals, in simple terms, the operational definition, concepts and applications of ecosystem services with a focus on sustainable food systems. The book presents case studies on both geographical and production system-wide considerations. Initial chapters discuss concepts, methodologies and the tools needed to understand ecosystem services in the broader food system. Middle and later chapters present different perspectives from case studies of ecosystem services derived from some of the key sustainable food production systems used by farmers, along with discussions on the challenges of deriving full benefits and how they can be overcome. Researchers, students, scientists, development practitioners and policymakers will welcome this reference as they continue their work related to sustainable food systems. Introduces the concept of ecosystem services in simple terms for a wide readership Provides an explanation of sustainable food systems Contains the tools to identify and quantify ecosystem services in sustainable food systems Identifies ecosystem services in specific systems utilized for sustainable food systems Categorizes the challenges of deriving maximum benefits of ecosystem services