Oral Session

S06 Soil & Water Management & Conservation

Ecosystem services are those goods and services provided by ecosystems that benefit humans. Industrialized agriculture has induced land use changes in the US, which affect ecosystem services over time by altering natural cycles. Current practices produce greater amounts of food, feed, and fiber but the impact associated with them is often responsible for air-soil-water degradation and public health problems. Degradation of rivers, streams and lakes by agricultural runoff containing sediments, nutrients and pathogens negatively affect the composition and abundances of aquatic plants, animals, and public health. Increasing U.S. agricultural production in the future through intensification of farming will have consequences to long-term ecological, economical and social sustainability that are expected to be detrimental. For agriculture to be seen as an integral component of the solution new integrated knowledge and tools are needed. This session will focus on soil-based strategies for increasing food production while restoring a natural base and improving ecosystem services.

Cosponsor(s):

A08 Integrated Agricultural Systems