ABSTRACT
Ewel argues that in the humid tropical lowlands, constructing forest-like agroecosystems that imitate successional vegetation is the only means for constructing a sustainable agriculture. The basic concepts of a self-sustaining, low-input, diversified and efficient agricultural system must be synthesized into practical alternative systems to suit the specific needs of farming communities in different agroecological regions of the world. The spatial and chronological arrangement of the plants in the natural ecosystem are then used to design an analogous crop system. Biological and agronomic characteristics of crop plants are important in selecting crops for any given situation and in determining appropriate farming practices. Crop production systems include both cropping systems and the associated crop production practices and technologies used to raise crops. Depending on climatic and edaphic factors, each area is characterized by a type of vegetation with a specific production capacity.
