Ecological intensification involves using natural resources such as
land, water, soil nutrients, and other biotic and abiotic variables in a
sustainable way to achieve high performance and efficiency in
agricultural yield with minimal damage to the agroecosystems. With
increasing food demand there is high pressure on agricultural systems.
The concept of ecological intensification presents the mechanisms of
ensuring high agricultural productivity by restoration the soil health
and landscape ecosystem services. The approach involves the replacement
of anthropogenic inputs with eco-friendly and sustainable alternates.
Effective ecological intensification requires an understanding of
ecosystems services, ecosystem's components, and flow of resources in
the agroecosystems. Also, awareness of land use patterns, socio-economic
factors, and needs of the farmer community plays a crucial role. It is
therefore essential to understand the interaction of ecosystem
constituents within the extensive agricultural landscape. The editors
critically examined the status of ecological stress in agroecosystems
and address the issue of ecological intensification for natural
resources management. Drawing upon research and examples from around the
world, the book is offering an up-to-date account, and insight into the
approaches that can be put in practice for poly-cropping systems and
landscape-scale management to increase the stability of agricultural
production systems to achieve 'Ecological resilience'. It further
discusses the role of farmer communities and the importance of their
awareness about the issues. This book will be of interest to teachers,
researchers, climate change scientists, capacity builders, and
policymakers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for
undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology,
agronomy, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and
international agricultural scientists, policymakers will also find this
to be a useful read for green future.
