Sustainable Food Production Includes Human and Environmental Health

Agroecology not only encompasses aspects of ecology, but the ecology of sustainable food production systems, and related societal and cultural values. To provide effective communication regarding status and advances in this field, connections must be established with many disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, environmental sciences, ethics, agriculture, economics, ecology, rural development, sustainability, policy and education, or integrations of these general themes so as to provide integrated points of view that will help lead to a sustainable construction of values. Such designs are inherently complex and dynamic, and go beyond the individual farm to include landscapes, communities, and biogeographic regions by emphasizing their unique agricultural and ecological values, and their biological, societal, and cultural components and processes.

Foreword.- Acknowledgements.- Biosketches of Editors and Contributing Authors.- Chapter 1: The Trading and Use of Agrochemicals.- . The Rise of Agrochemicals and Their Benefits to Humanity.- 2. Problems Associated with Agrochemicals.- 3. Limiting Agrochemical Use - Integrated Pest Management.- Conclusions.- References.- Chapter 2: Critical Evaluation of Genetic Manipulation for Improved Productivity: Is This a Sustainable Agenda.- 1. Introduction: Agricultural Paradigms.- 2. Agriculture, Biotechnology and Biodiversity.- 3. Genetically Modified Crops, Biofuels and Sustainable Agriculture in the United States.- 4. The Ethical Socioeconomic and Political Issues of Biotechnology in Agriculture.- 5. Genetically Engineered Crops, Food Security and Safety.- 6. Conclusions and Perspectives: Supporting Sustainable Agriculture and Development.- Acknowledgements.- References.- Chapter 3: Organic Farming and Organic Food Quality - Prospects and Limitations.- 1. Organic Farming.- 2. Food Quality.- Conclusions and Outlook.- References.- Chapter 4: Veterinary Medicine: The Value of Plant Secondary Compounds and Diversity in Balancing Consumer and Ecological Health.-1. Plant Diversity in Ecosystems.- 2. Plant Diversity and Secondary Compounds.- 3. Plant Secondary Compounds as Medicines - Feedback Mechanisms.- 4. Plant Secondary Compounds as Preventive Agents: Feed-Forward Mechanisms.- 5. Feedback (Treatment) vs. Feed-Forward (Prevention).- 6. Impacts of PSCs on Food Products.- 7. Plant Diversity, PSCs, Productivity and Health.- 8. Grazing and Spatial and Temporal Biodiversity.- 9. Plant Diversity, Prevention and Food Interactions.- 10. Plant Diversity and the Value of Silvopastoral Systems.- 11. Current vs. "Ideal" Feeding Systems.- Acknowledgements.- References.- Chapter 5: Controlling the Introduction and Augmentation of Parasites In and On Domesticated Livestock.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Parasitism in Tropical DomesticatedLivestock: Human Interventions and Welfare.- 3. Hunger and Parasites: Common Enemies in Grazing Systems.- 4. The Spread of Parasitic Diseases and the Potential Impacts.- 5. Parasiticide Medications Used on Ruminant Livestock.- 6. Parasiticide Resistance in Ruminant Livestock.- 7. Improving the Use of Existing Parasiticide Drugs.- 8. Parasiticides in Domesticated Livestock: Ecotoxicity and Environmental Cost.- 9. How do Agroecologically Oriented Operations Affect the Introduction and Spread of Endoparasites and Ectoparasites to Other Animals and Humans?.- 10. Advances in Biological Control for Domesticated Livestock with Emphasis on Tick and Gastrointestinal Nematode (GIN) Control.- 11. Supplementary Feeding to Improve Resilience and Resistance Against GINs.- 12. Concluding Remarks.- Acknowledgements.- References.