ABSTRACT
As I explained in the Preface, my overall objective in writing this book is to contribute to the ongoing interdisciplinary efforts aimed at replacing what I have called modern extractive agriculture1 with a “natural-systems” agriculture concentrating on perennials grown in polycultures instead of annuals grown in monocultures. Chapter 2 explored why a change in global agriculture is warranted from an economic perspective. This chapter examines why a change in global agriculture is warranted on ecological, human-health, and other social grounds. I begin with an ecological assessment.
