Synopses & Reviews
Published in three other languages and growing, Managing Biodiversity in Agricultural Ecosystems takes a look at how farmers manage, maintain, and benefit from biodiversity in agricultural production systems. The volume includes the most recent research and developments in the maintenance of local diversity at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. Chapters cover the assessment and farmer management practices for crop, livestock, aquatic, and associated diversity (such as pollinators and soil microorganisms) in agricultural ecosystems; examine the potential role of diversity in minimizing pest and disease pressures; and present studies that exemplify the potential nutritional, ecosystem service, and financial values of this diversity under changing economic and environmental conditions. The volume contains perspectives that combine the thinking of social and biological scientists.
Inappropriate or excessive use of inputs can cause damage to biodiversity within agricultural ecosystems and compromise future productivity. This book features numerous case studies that show how farmers have used alternative approaches to manage biodiversity to enhance the stability, resilience, and productivity of their farms, pointing the way toward improved biodiversity on a global scale. As custodians of the world's agricultural biodiversity, farmers are fully invested in ways to create, sustain, and assist in the evolution and adaptation of a variety of plant and animal species. Thus this text is mandatory reading for conservationists, environmentalists, botanists, zoologists, geneticists, and anyone interested in the health of our ecosystem.
Review
andldquo;The definitive text that puts crop genetic diversity and agrobiodiversity in the context of evolutionary biology and adaptation to rapid changes in the Anthropocene. . . . an essential tool in training young scientists to produce the information and solutions that will contribute to healthy and resilient ecosystems for future generations.andrdquo;andmdash;From the Foreword by Cristiandaacute;n Samper
Review
andldquo;Sound and original scholarship. Retaining crop genetic diversity is important to the future of human civilization, and this book provides a good, modern general reference to the science of crop genetic diversity.andrdquo;andmdash;Tim Murray, Washington State University