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Multifunctional Agriculture and the Relationship Between Different Functions

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Multifunctional Land-Use Systems for Managing the Nexus of Environmental Resources

Abstract

The agricultural ecosystem provides a variety of goods and services for human society. Beyond the main functions of primary production and supporting rural livelihoods, agricultural activities also provide additional benefits to the environment such as maintaining water and soil resources and enhancing food security. The social, economic and ecological services of an agricultural ecosystem are inextricable. Primary production is one of the main services of the agriculture ecosystem, and the relationship between it and other services, such as maintaining food, soil and water security, is affected by management practices and associated policies. Multifunctional agriculture is drawing increasing attention among scientists and is considered as a way towards attaining sustainability as it emphasises the complex interconnectedness and interactions between the agro-ecosystem, natural environment and socioeconomic development. China’s agriculture is facing many challenges, namely in mitigating soil erosion, improving water conservation, maintaining soil fertility and alleviating poverty, among many other problems. Moreover, the complex interrelationships and critical linkages between agriculture and other ecosystem services are still unclear. Therefore, trade-off analyses between different services are necessary before implementing new management strategies for agriculture; the continued research on multifunctional agriculture is also needed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Datun Road 11A, Beijing, 100101, China

    Lin Zhen, Wenping Sheng & Chao Wang

  2. Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources, United Nations University, Ammonstrasse 74, 01067, Dresden, Germany

    Lulu Zhang

Authors
  1. Lin Zhen
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  2. Wenping Sheng
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  3. Chao Wang
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  4. Lulu Zhang
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Correspondence to Lin Zhen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, Dresden, Germany

    Lulu Zhang

  2. Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), United Nations University, Dresden, Germany

    Kai Schwärzel

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Zhen, L., Sheng, W., Wang, C., Zhang, L. (2017). Multifunctional Agriculture and the Relationship Between Different Functions. In: Zhang, L., Schwärzel, K. (eds) Multifunctional Land-Use Systems for Managing the Nexus of Environmental Resources. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54957-6_4

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