1st Edition

Interactions Between Agroecosystems and Rural Communities

Edited By Cornelia Flora Copyright 2001
    290 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    There is an increasing realization among biophysical scientists that human behavior drastically impacts the degree to which sound agroecosystems are implemented. Written by an international team of experts assembled by a leading rural sociologist, Interactions Between Agroecosystems and Rural Communities shows how human behavior impacts agroecosystems both positively and negatively and provides an understanding of alternative ways of working with human communities to increase agroecosystem sustainability.

    Through a general overview and a series of case studies, this text demonstrates how changes in the economy influence what local people can do to sustain agroecosystems. It also addresses specific community-based actions located in both temperate and tropical zones in Europe, North America, Asia, Central America, and Latin America that have resulted in more sustainable agroecosystems. With 30 diagrams and illustrations, this volume enables the reader to understand fully the impact of exogenous forces on agroecosystems.

    Introduction, C.B. Flora
    Shifting Agroecosystems and Communities, C.B. Flora
    Altered Landscapes and Transformed Livelihoods: Banana Companies, Panama Disease, and Rural Communities on the North Coast of Honduras, J. Soluri
    Community Culture and the Evolution of Hog Production: Eastern and Western Oklahoma, C. Mayda
    Forest Conservation and Degradation in a Subsubsistence Agricultural System: Community and Forestry in Mexico, D. Klooster
    Community, Fruits, and Vegetables for Export: The Impact on Two Mexican Ecosystems and Rural Communities, M.B. Nock
    Communities of Interest and Agroecosystem Restoration: Streuobst in Europe, F. Herzog and A. Oetmann
    Transhumant Communities and Agroecosystems in Patagonia, M. Bendini
    Farm-Community Entrepreneurial Partnerships in the Midwest, C.B. Flora, G. McIsaac, S. Gasteyer, and M. Kroma
    A Learning Approach to Community Agroecosystem Management, C. Lightfoot, M. Fernandez, R. Noble, R. Ramírez, A. Groot, E. Fernandez-Baca, F. Shao, G. Muro, S. Okelabo, A. Mugenyi, I. Bekalo, A. Rianga, and L. Obare
    Bridges to Sustainability: Links Between Agriculture, Community, and the Ecosystem, L.M. Butler and R. Carkner
    Rural Community Leadership in the Lake Benton Watershed, W. Monson
    The Winnebago Tribe's Agroforestry Project: Linking Indigenous Knowledge, Resource Management Planning, and Community Development, L.C. Rule, M.B. Szymanski, and J.P. Colletti
    Innovation in Indigenous Production Systems to Maintain Tradition, M. de Lourdes Barón and D. Barkin
    Ethnicity, Multiple Communities, and the Promotion of Conservation: Strawberries in California, D.C. Mountjoy
    Ecobelts: Reconnecting Agriculture and Communities, M.M. Schoenberger, G. Bentrup, and C. A. Francis
    Afterward: An Optimistic Future Scenario, C.A. Francis
    Index

    Biography

    Cornelia Flora