Intensification for Agroecosystem Services

Agroecosystem itself represents a managed ecosystem in agricultural land by human-managed crops and livestock’s integration that are highly productive, profitable, and ecologically sustainable. Growing populations and related food demands necessitate intensive practices in agriculture systems. Deforestation and other anthropogenic factors promote forest land conversion into arable lands. Intensive agroecosystem ensures higher crop productions but at the cost of ecosystem and environmental health. High intensive inputs of chemical fertilizers and heavy mechanizations resulted in land degradation and poor soil health. Intensive agroecosystem practices further destroy soil and environmental quality along with poor ecosystem services. In this context, applying sustainable practices in agroecosystem is based on ecological concept that enhances crop-soil productivity in sustainable ways without destroying our environment. Sustainable intensification in agroecosystem enhances biodiversity that intensifies ecosystem services in both tangible (direct) and intangible (indirect) ways. Production services (tangible) include the timber biomass, fuelwood, food products, and several non-wood forest products that are delivered directly from the agroecosystem. Climate change mitigation, soil fertility improvement, watershed management, pest disease control, water regulation, food and nutritional security, etc. come under the protection services. Sustainable intensification-based agroecosystem enhances climate-resilient and soil health management. Climate-resilient agroecosystem ensures less emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and makes sustainable ecosystem. Conservation agriculture, use of cover crops, and no-tillage practices are key drivers that promote sustainable agroecosystem. An effective policy for scientific research and design must be included to promote sustainable agroecosystem practices that promise food-soil-climate security at global scale. This chapter discusses about ecosystem services through sustainable-based agroecosystem rather than intensive practices. A rigorous discussion is also made on theoretical models of agroecosystem, significance of sustainable agroecosystem, and drivers for sustainable intensification in agroecosystem. Climate- and soil-resilient agroecosystem makes this chapter more comprehensive and informative for academicians, policy makers, and researchers worldwide.