Abstract
This chapter uses a comparison of natural ecosystems with managed ecosystems to explore the concepts of energy and matter flow. Basic concepts of ecological efficiency help inform how we can best produce food for our population using the least land needed with the lowest environmental impact. An initial exploration of the concept of ecological footprint will assist students in the process of critically reading chapters on our present agricultural production practices.
If you do not supply nourishment equal to the nourishment which is gone, life will fail in vigour, and if you take away this nourishment, the life is entirely destroyed.
—Leonardo Da Vinci.
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Caldwell, C.D. (2020). Natural Ecosystems Versus Agroecosystems. In: Caldwell, C., Wang, S. (eds) Introduction to Agroecology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8836-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8836-5_2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-8835-8
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-8836-5
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