The Dialectical Agroecologist

Erscheinungsjahr 2024
ISBN: 978-1-009-45583-1
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 242 Seiten, Format (B × H): 175 mm x 250 mm, Gewicht: 604 g

This book examines contradictions within the fields of food studies and agroecology, from the differences between traditional and scientific knowledge, to habitat fragmentation and connection, monocultures versus diverse farming systems, pest regulation, and the rural/urban dialectic. Building and expanding on the work of Richard Levins and Richard Lewontin, who used the dialectical method in the field of biology, this analysis includes examples from the authors' own pioneering research in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico, to demonstrate the benefits of applying the dialectical method to agroecology in practice. Exploring themes in studies that are currently the subject of rigorous debate among academics and activists alike, especially related to food production and distribution, this book is indispensable for practitioners and activists seeking to transform the food system, as well as for social and natural scientists.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Vandermeer, John

Perfecto, Ivette

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Table of contents; Preface; 1. The dialectical agroecologist: an introduction; 2. The meaning of agriculture and agroecology; 3. Western and traditional knowledge: a different kind of Dialogo de Saberes; 4. Nature's matrix; 5. Monocultures and the rise of diversity in agroecology; 6. Making and breaking pests; 7. Qualitative emergence from quantitative changes: the inevitability of surprise; 8. The new rurality and the new peasantry: land and territory; 9. Epilogue; Notes; References; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Perfecto, Ivette
Ivette Perfecto is a Professor at the University of Michigan. She has co-authored four books, including Breakfast of Biodiversity and Nature's Matrix with John Vandermeer and Angus Wright. Perfecto is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Science for the People.

Vandermeer, John
John Vandermeer is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan, where he teaches courses in ecology and agroecosystems. He has also taught agroecology to students in 10 different countries in Latin America and Europe. He is author or editor of 16 books and over 300 scientific publications.