Birl Lowery – författare

Soil Health and Intensification of Agroecosystems examines the climate, environmental, and human effects on agroecosystems and how the existing paradigms must be revised in order to establish sustainable production. The increased demand for food and fuel exerts tremendous stress on all aspects of natural resources and the environment to satisfy an ever increasing world population, which includes the use of agriculture products for energy and other uses in addition to human and animal food.

The book presents options for ecological systems that mimic the natural diversity of the ecosystem and can have significant effect as the world faces a rapidly changing and volatile climate. The book explores the introduction of sustainable agroecosystems that promote biodiversity, sustain soil health, and enhance food production as ways to help mitigate some of these adverse effects.

New agroecosystems will help define a resilient system that can potentially absorb some of the extreme shifts in climate. Changing the existing cropping system paradigm to utilize natural system attributes by promoting biodiversity within production agricultural systems, such as the integration of polycultures, will also enhance ecological resiliency and will likely increase carbon sequestration.

This book capitalizes on data collected by the Natural Resources Conservation Service & other organizations over the past 100+ years & offers the first comprehensive treatment of Mississippi soils. Main topics include the history of soil studies; soil-forming factors; general soil regions; taxonomic soil regions; soil-forming processes; benchmark, endemic, rare, & endangered soils; land use; key environmental issues; & yield potential of Mississippi soils. The book contains over 100 photographs of soils, vegetation, & land use & should be of interest to planners & students interested in soil science & allied disciplines.