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Is the future of agriculture perennial? Imperatives and opportunities to reinvent agriculture by shifting from annual monocultures to perennial polycultures

Authors :
Timothy E. Crews
Wim Carton
Lennart Olsson
Source :
Global Sustainability, Vol 1 (2018)
Publication Year :
2018
Publisher :
Cambridge University Press, 2018.

Abstract

Non-technical summaryModern agriculture is associated with numerous environmental predicaments, such as land degradation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emission. Socio-economically, it is characterized by a treadmill of technological change, increased mechanization, and economic consolidation, while depressing economic returns to farmers. A root cause is the dominance of annual plants cultivated in monocultures. Annual crops require the yearly clearing of vegetation resulting in soil erosion and other forms of ecosystem degradation. Monocultures are susceptible to agricultural pests and weeds. By contrast, perennial polycultures informed by natural ecosystems, promise more sustainable agroecosystems with the potential to also revitalize the economic foundation of farming and hence rural societies.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20594798
Volume :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Global Sustainability
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.129de06b3314e59bad8070a59ab1ce9
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2018.11