ABSTRACT
The core concepts of agroecology can be applied at different scales, and at each scale – the field, the farm, or the landscape – there is a different approach to resource management that is appropriate for achieving intended outcomes from management decisions. This chapter considers the opportunities and outcomes of management decisions at these three scales, with particular reference to recent experience in the Midwestern region of the United States. Agroecological systems operate at the field, farm, and landscape scales, with interactions among these levels, to be sure. Management practices will have different outcomes at each of these scales; e.g., at the field scale, decisions will primarily impact the ability of the system to produce a crop, affect the environmental quality within the field boundary, and determine the profitability of the system. Soil systems are the basis for agricultural production, and management decisions need to focus on enhancing soil functionality.
