Chapter 24

What are some examples of incentive-based policies that would encourage farmers to transition to sustainable farming practices?

How do the ecological and social components of agroecosystems change as we expand the scale of analysis from the farm, to the local community, to the region, to the nation, and ultimately, to the entire earth?

Describe how the “analog model” for agroeco- system design and management might be applied in your own farming region. Be sure to clearly indicate the successional stages your system would need to go through and how they mirror what happens in the natural ecosystems that exist (or once existed) around your farm.

Give some examples of how agroforestry sys- tem design can be informed by knowledge about the ecological impact of trees on the envi- ronment, and how it can be shaped by the farmer’s need for particular products.

How would you integrate both ecological bal- ance and harvestability in the design of a home garden agroforestry system specifically suited to the location in which you live? Be sure to describe both the ecological and cultural back- ground that affect your design determinations.

Why have trees disappeared from so many agri- cultural landscapes over the past several decades, especially in developed countries?

What are the most significant changes that must occur in human attitudes towards agriculture and the food system in order to move towards sustainability?

From an agroecological perspective, what are some of the most important relationships between diversity and disturbance in sustain- able agriculture?

Describe how an agricultural landscape made up of a mosaic of successional patches might be described as a “polyculture of monocultures.”