A practice guide with principles to the development of environmentally integrated, yet economically viable arable farming, from the perspective of ecological research. It is based on 18 invited papers presented at the 13th Long Ashton International Symposium 'Arable Ecosystems for the 21st Century', held in september 1993. The contents are international in outlook, with emphasis on European and North American ecological studies relevant to integrated arable farming systems

Conventional agriculture has caused economic problems associated with lower production of crops, increased costs of energy-based inputs and decreased farm incomes. It has also produced ecological problems on crop diversity, animals and poultry as well as soil and water pollution and soil erosion. The adoption of integrated farming systems involving lower external inputs, residue recycling and organic practices can alleviate economic and ecological problems. Alternatives to energy-based inputs, crop rotations, inter-cropping, use of organic matters, integrated crop, fertilizer, pests and weed management practices certainly impose larger dividends to farm income and employment. Besides this high-tech horticulture, pisciculture, dairy, poultry, mushroom culture, apiary and agroforestry can be made component of Integrated Farming Systems. Post harvest management practices will certainly add flavor and values to young farmers and farm women and bring new dimension to the thought process and check their migration from own village / cities to other states for employment and income. It is essential to integrate the components of agricultural systems fully so that the impacts of other inputs will be visible. Our knowledge and its interaction with secondary inputs must increase to minimize energy-based chemical inputs to produce good yields, increase farm profits and employment generation and decrease environmental problems. There is considerable scope for the development of protocols based on natural resources, ecology, community need in the present climate change scenario. So, interdisciplinary and farmers participatory approach are crucial consideration to achieve sustainable agriculture and development. This book focuses on different practices of Integrated Farming System in eastern-India and for scaling up the technology for community need. It provides a detailed account of principles, challenges and opportunities in simpler yet compact manner for better understanding of the researchers and policy makers.

Concepts, principles, history, classification, structure and function analysis of various models in the same production sector and in different sectors, at different scales, in mountain and dryland ecosystems. The book is aimed primarily at young post-graduate scientists in the disciplines or at agronomy, forestry, animal husbandry, land use management and ecology experts.

A unique look at how the adoption of sustainable farming methods is being pursued throughout the world. This comprehensive book provides clear insight into research and education needs and the many points of view that come to bear on the issue of sustainability. Essential for agricultural leaders in research, education, conservation, policy making, and anyone else interested in creating an economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture worldwide.

Find an interdiscliplinary view of sustainable agriculture that emphasizes the potential contributions of ecology to agricultural sustainability in this groundbreaking book. Integrating Sustainable Agriculture, Ecology, and Environmental Policy explores how ecological knowledge, applied as part of a multidisciplinary effort, can be used to design a sustainable and environmentally sound agriculture. A more ecologically based agriculture can increase production efficiency and decrease environmental impacts, but hard choices regarding population control, energy conservation, and land use must still be made. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that the results are beneficial to all components, for example, an ecologically based management scheme which bankrupts the farmer is not considered a viable option for sustainable agriculture. These thought-provoking chapters are an excellent introduction to the contributions of ecological principles to an environmentally sound sustainable agriculture. This multidisciplinary examination provides readers interested in agriculture with a valuable introduction to related work in other fields including ecology and economics. Agronomists, ecologists, educators, and policymakers will find essential information on diverse topics including: the definition and measurement of ecological sustainability in agriculture landscape ecology and the design of sustainable agricultural landscapes soil ecology as a foundation for sustainable agriculture Federal agricultural policies as incentives or deterrent to sustainable agriculture applying farming systems research and extension to sustainable agriculture population growth and other threats to sustainable agriculture environmental policies and their effects on sustainable agriculture the role of precollege education in developing sustainable agriculture

The introductory book covers farming System-scope, importance and concept; Types and systems of farming system and factors affecting types of farming; Farming system components and their maintenance and its advantages; Allied enterprises and their importance; Tools for determining production and efficiencies in cropping and farming system; Sustainable agriculture-problems and its impact on agriculture; Conservation agriculture strategies in agriculture; HEIA, LEIA and LEISA and its techniques for sustainability; Integrated farming system-historical background, objectives and characteristics; Site specific development of IFS model for different agro-climatic zones; Resource use efficiency and optimization techniques, Resource cycling and flow of energy in different farming system; Farming system and environment; Cropping system and pattern, Multiple cropping system; Efficient cropping system and their evaluation; New concept and recent approaches in farming systems; Crop diversification for sustainable agriculture The book is written in a very simple form with up to data and statistics. It is a comprehensive basic text book on integrated farming system and will specifically meet out the requirement of the students of UG and PG students as per 5th Dean’s Committee recommendations.