ABSTRACT
Chapter three reviews the ecological basis for primary food
production, providing a brief characterisation of the principal farming
and other primary food production systems, and outlines the significance
of four key resources that underpin agriculture in particular. Without
specifying limits or thresholds, it is clear that, through neglect or
inappropriate development, there is a danger that vital ecosystem
services could be lost unless efforts are made to restore farming methods
that provide better equilibrium with available resources. In this chapter,
we consider four major challenges that especially highlight this
disparity.
