Test Your Knowledge on Agroecology

Study of Ecological Processes in Agriculture: A Summary

• Agroecology is a discipline that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems.
• Agroecology is a holistic approach that seeks to reconcile agriculture and local communities with natural processes for the common benefit of nature and livelihoods.
• Agroecology is inherently multidisciplinary, including sciences such as agronomy, ecology, environmental science, sociology, economics, history, and others.
• The system properties of agroecosystems studied may include productivity, stability, sustainability, and equitability.
• Agroecology is not limited to any one scale; it can range from an individual gene to an entire population, or from a single field in a given farm to global systems.
• Indigenous peoples around the world historically used and currently use practices utilizing knowledge of agroecology.
• The first mention of the term agroecology was in 1928, with the publication of the term by Basil Bensin.
• Post-WWII ecologists gave more focus to experiments in the natural environment, while agronomists dedicated their attention to the cultivated systems in agriculture.
• Works such as Silent Spring and The Limits to Growth caused the public to be aware of the environmental costs of agricultural production, which caused more research in sustainability starting in the 1980s.
• Several social movements have adopted agroecology as part of their larger organizing strategy.
• The European Commission supports the use of sustainable practices, such as precision agriculture, organic farming, agroecology, agroforestry, and stricter animal welfare standards through the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy.
• Within those academic research areas that focus on topics related to agriculture or ecology, there is much debate regarding what model of agriculture or agroecology should be supported through policy.