Sustainable Agriculture: Perennial Plants Produce More; Landscape Diversity Creates Habitat For Pest Enemies

Typography
Advances in ecology increasingly reveal that conventional agricultural practices have detrimental effects on the landscape ecology, creating problems for long-term sustainability of crops. Ecologists are exploring how our agricultural practices can take lessons from natural environments.

Advances in ecology increasingly reveal that conventional agricultural practices have detrimental effects on the landscape ecology, creating problems for long-term sustainability of crops. In a series of sessions at the Ecological Society of America's Annual Meeting, ecologists will present their ideas on how our agricultural practices can take lessons from natural environments.

Perennial plants produce more, require less input than annual croplands

!ADVERTISEMENT!

The major crops used globally to feed people and livestock – wheat, rice, maize and soy – are based on an annual system, in which crop plants live one year, are harvested, and are replanted the following year. These systems are notorious, however, for stripping organic nutrients from soils over time.

Article continues