Importance of Agro-ecology in Farming

Agroecology involves applying ecological principles to production of food, fuel, fiber, and pharmaceuticals and the management of agro-ecosystems. It is, indeed "a science, a movement, or a practice."

It is a scientific discipline that uses ecological theory to study, design, manage and evaluate agricultural systems that are productive but also resource conserving. Agroecological systems consider interactions of all important biophysical, technical and socioeconomic components of farming systems and regards these systems as the primary units of study, where mineral cycles, energy transformations, biological processes and socioeconomic relationships are analyzed as a whole in an interdisciplinary fashion.

Agroecology is solicitous with the maintenance of a productive agriculture that sustains yields and optimizes the use of local resources while minimizing the negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts of modern techniques such as:

• The utilization of ecology to the design and management of sustainable agroecosystems.

• It develops agriculture for the food production by making us of traditional knowledge, alternative agriculture, and local food system experiences.

• It relates ecology, culture, economics, and society to sustain agricultural production, healthy environments, and viable food and farming communities.

Modern agriculture in most of the industrial areas, uses maximizing high-input technologies and yields or generates environmental and health problems that often do not serve the needs of producers and consumers. In developing countries, in addition to promoting environmental degradation, modern agricultural technologies have routed circumstances and socioeconomic needs of large numbers of resource-poor farmers. However, the main goal of application of agro-ecological science in agriculture is to solve the real world problems.