A growing body of evidence shows that agricultural landscapes can be managed not only to produce crops but also to support biodiversity and promote ecosystem health. Innovative farmers and scientists, as well as indigenous land managers, are developing diverse types of "ecoagriculture" landscapes to generate cobenefits for production, biodiversity, and local people.
Farming with Nature offers a synthesis of the state of knowledge of key topics in ecoagriculture. The book is a unique collaboration among renowned agricultural and ecological scientists, leading field conservationists, and farm and community leaders to synthesize knowledge and experience across sectors. The book examines:
• the knowledge base for ecoagriculture as well as barriers, gaps, and opportunities for developing improved ecoagriculture systems
• what we have learned about managing landscapes to achieve multiple objectives at a landscape scale
• existing incentives for farmers, other land managers, and investors to develop and invest in ecoagriculture systems
• pathways to develop, implement, manage, and scale up successful ecoagriculture
Insights are drawn from around the world, in tropical, Mediterranean, and temperate environments, from farming systems that range from highly commercialized to semi-subsistence. Farming with Nature is an important new work that can serve as a foundation document for planners, farm organizations, researchers, project developers, and policy makers to develop strategies for promoting and sustaining ecoagriculture landscapes. Replete with valuable best practice guidelines, it is a critical resource for both practitioners and researchers in
the field.
"Accompanied by excellent schematics, charts, aerial photographs, and glossaries, this collection sharpens the focus of the editors' earlier work. It amplifies significantly their view of the institutional and socioeconomic structure needed to support and sustain such environments." "Today we need ecoagriculture more than ever. We face fundamental challenges to our continued life on this one and only earth. Biodiversity loss and climate change will reinforce our difficulties. Timely, grounded and well-informed, this book sets the agenda for agriculture in the 21st century."---Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Environment and Development "Agriculture does not have to damage the environment in order to produce the food we all need. There are options that work for farmers, consumers and the environment in both industrialised and developing countries. Here they are laid out sufficient detail to begin to persuade key policy makers. A splendid book that will be thoroughly recommended reading."---Jules Pretty, Head of Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex "Sara Scherr and Jeff McNeely have given us a thoughtful, sensible book about a topic of great importance to the world. There is no food security, no poverty reduction, no environmental sustainability without transforming our agricultural practices. The book …presents well documented cases of best practices from all over the world. It should be required reading for all concerned with agriculture, the environment, food security or just the future of our children."---Ismail Serageldin, Director, Library of Alexandria; Distinguished Professor, Wageningen University "Farming with nature is the only pathway open to us for enhancing productivity in perpetuity without associated ecological harm. Island Press deserves our gratitude for bringing out this timely publication"---M.S. Swaminathan, President, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs "The real contribution of Farming with Nature may be to bring the practices and benefits of ecoagriculture to the attention of managers, directors of programs, legislators, and policymakers."
