Sustainability Indicators in Agroecology

Flashcards covering sustainability indicators in agroecology, including definitions, benchmarks for soil and crop health, and social/landscape metrics.

Sustainable Agroecosystem

An agroecosystem that maintains its resource base, relies on minimal artificial inputs, manages pests via internal regulating mechanisms, and recovers from cultivation and harvest disturbances.

Reference Point Principle

The concept that an agroecosystem is more likely to be sustainable if its structural and functional similarity to the natural ecosystem in its biogeographic region is greater.

Amish Farm Energy Efficiency

The output:input energy ratio of Amish farms, which is between $1$ and $2$, compared to conventional farms which are < 1.

Amish Crop Rotation Cycle

A 3–5 year cycle consisting of hay-hay-corn-oats-winter wheat.

Productivity Index (PI)

An assessment of processes and structures that give rise to yield, calculated as ext{Productivity Index (PI)} = rac{ ext{Total biomass accumulated in the system}}{ ext{NPP harvested}}.

Productivity Index (PI) Range

A scale used to evaluate production sustainability where values range between $1$ and $50$.

Soil Health Indicator: Earthworms

A healthy condition benchmark defined as having > 10 ext{ per cubic ft.} with visible signs of castings and burrows.

Soil Health Indicator: % OM

A healthy soil benchmark where the topsoil is darker than the subsoil and contains > 2.8 ext{ %} organic matter.

Water Infiltration (Manure Rate)

The increase in water entry into soil after 1 hour, reaching $2.7 ext{ inches}$ when the manure rate is $16 ext{ tons/acre}$.

Nitrogen in Worm Casts

The amount of Nitrogen found in worm casts, measured at $10,720 ext{ Lbs/ac}$ compared to $7,000 ext{ Lbs/ac}$ in surrounding soil.

Phosphorous in Worm Casts

Worm casts contain $280 ext{ Lbs/ac}$ of phosphorous, significantly higher than the $40 ext{ Lbs/ac}$ found in the surrounding soil.

Amoeba Plots

A visual tool for ranking values from very low to very high to monitor progress, strengths, and weaknesses or to compare multiple systems.

Indicators of Crop Health: Appearance (Score 10)

A condition described as having dark green foliage with no signs of deficiency.

Indicators of Crop Health: Insect Pest Incidence (Score 10)

A state with less than $5$ leafhopper nymphs per leaf and less than 30 ext{ %} damaged leaves.

Economic Sustainability Indicators

Parameters including stable income, production costs, market price, fair wages, reliance on subsidies, investment rates, and debt.

Cultural Sustainability Indicators

Parameters including generational continuity of farming, human health for workers, autonomy, social organization stability, and job satisfaction.

SEPLS

Acronym for Socio-ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes, which uses resilience indicators for landscape planning.

Landscape Diversity Indicators

Metrics focusing on landscape/seascape diversity, ecosystem protection, ecological interactions, and landscape recovery or regeneration.

Livelihoods and Well-being Indicators

Metrics including human health, environmental conditions, income diversity, biodiversity-based livelihoods, and socio-ecological mobility.

Taveuni Island Case Study

A community in Fiji that identified a need to reforest and implement agroforestry after experiencing declining yields and degraded water/land quality.