MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO INCREASE SUSTAINABILITY IN AGROECOSYSTEMS

The major focus of thisresearch is on understanding how agroecosystems function and how management affects resilience in a changing climate at the field or food system scale, in plant-animal food systems. To understand the functionally of agroecosystems and the effects of climate change on the relationships between ecosystems pools (i.e. animal, soil, plant, water, air) we need to conduct field, multi-year studies, in non-simulated agroecosystems. This research is fundamentally systematic and collaborative. The specific goals of this project are:To develop and evaluate innovative management practices that enhance the sustainability and resilience of plant-animal agroecosystems in a changing climate.To evaluate the environmental pressures associated with animal and crop management practices.