Agricultural Resilience
Perspectives from Ecology and Economics

Offers an interdisciplinary exploration of resilience in agriculture, and implications for producers seeking to adapt to change and uncertainty.

Sarah M. Gardner (Edited by), Stephen J. Ramsden (Edited by), Rosemary S. Hails (Edited by)

9781107665873, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 May 2019

404 pages, 59 b/w illus. 11 tables
24.7 x 17.4 x 2 cm, 0.84 kg

'It is suitable for both researchers and policymakers, especially those who are genuinely interested in bridging economics and ecology in agriculture.' Lixin Wang, The Quarterly Review of Biology

Agriculture as a social-ecological system embraces many disciplines. This book breaks through the silos of individual disciplines to bring ecologists and economists together to consider agriculture through the lens of resilience. It explores the economic, environmental and social uncertainties that influence the behaviour of agricultural producers and their subsequent farming approach, highlighting the importance of adaptability, innovation and capital reserves in enabling agriculture to persist under climate change and market volatility. The resilience concept and its relation to complexity theory is explained and the characteristics that foster resilience in agricultural systems, including the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services, are explored. The book discusses modelling tools, metrics and approaches for assessing agricultural resilience, highlighting areas where interdisciplinary thinking can enhance the development of resilience. It is suitable for those researching sustainable agriculture or those engaged in agricultural policy decisions and analysis, as well as students of ecology, agriculture and socioeconomics.

1. Introducing resilience Sarah M. Gardner and Stephen J. Ramsden
Part I. Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Resilience in Agricultural Systems: 2. Complexity and resilience in agriculture Sarah M. Gardner
3. Biodiversity and agriculture David Tilman
4. Determining the value of ecosystem services in agriculture Rosemary S. Hails, Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer, Elena Bennett, Brian Robinson, Gretchen Daily, Kate Brauman and Paul West
5. Resilience in agricultural systems Stephen J. Ramsden and James Gibbons
6. Building resilience into agricultural pollination using wild pollinators Neal Williams, Rufus Isaacs, Eric Lonsdorf, Rachel Winfree and Taylor Ricketts
7. Conflicts and challenges to enhancing the resilience of small-scale farmers in developing economies Richard Ewbank
8. Modern biotechnology and sustainable intensification: chances and limitations Rolf Meyer
9. Pastoralism, conservation and resilience: causes and consequences of pastoralist household decision-making Katherine Homewood, Marcus Rowcliffe, Jan De Leeuw, Mohamed Y. Said and Aidan Keane
Part II. Integrating Biodiversity and Building Resilience into Agricultural Systems: 10. Delivering sustainability in agriculture: some implications for analysis Ian Hodge
11. The resilience of agricultural landscapes characterised by land sparing versus land sharing Dave Abson, Kate Sherren and Joern Fischer
12. Ecological-economic modelling for designing cost-effective incentives to conserve farmland biodiversity Martin Drechsler and Frank Wätzold
13. Viability analysis as an approach for assessing the resilience of agroecosystems Sophie Martin
14. Integrating economics and resilience thinking: the context of natural resource management in Australia Michael Harris, Graham Marshall and David Pannell
15. Integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into European agricultural policy: a challenge for the common agricultural policy Allan Buckwell
16. Ecosystem-service based metrics of sustainability as tools for promoting conservation and food security Jonathan R. B. Fisher and Peter Kareiva
17. Conclusions on agricultural resilience Sarah M. Gardner, Stephen J. Ramsden and Rosemary S. Hails.

Subject Areas: Sustainable agriculture [TVF], Agricultural science [TVB], Agriculture & farming [TV], Sustainability [RNU], Conservation of the environment [RNK], Environmental management [RNF], Biodiversity [RNCB], Applied ecology [RNC], Environmental economics [KCN]