Abstract
González-Esquivel, C. E., M. E. Gavito, M. Astier, M. Cadena-Salgado, E. del-Val, L. Villamil-Echeverri, Y. Merlín-Uribe, and P. Balvanera. 2015. Ecosystem service trade-offs, perceived drivers, and sustainability in contrasting agroecosystems in central Mexico. Ecology and Society 20(1): 38. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-06875-200138
Highlights
The analysis of the trade-offs between the goal of maximizing crop yield and the regulating and supporting services that underpin land productivity is more important than ever as humans deal with increasing food demand and the strong environmental impacts of agroecosystems (Bennett and Balvanera 2007, Zhang et al 2007, Raudsepp-Hearne et al 2010, Foley et al 2011)
Maize For maize, there was a trade-off between maximizing yield and the regulation of soil quality, measured as SOM content (Fig. 2A)
Avocado We found no clear trade-offs between yield and the regulation of soil erosion for avocado (Fig. 3)
Summary
The analysis of the trade-offs between the goal of maximizing crop yield and the regulating and supporting services that underpin land productivity is more important than ever as humans deal with increasing food demand and the strong environmental impacts of agroecosystems (Bennett and Balvanera 2007, Zhang et al 2007, Raudsepp-Hearne et al 2010, Foley et al 2011). Key services to agroecosystems include the regulation of soil fertility, erosion, and pests, as well as the maintenance of the agrobiodiversity that directly or indirectly modulates yields, such as pollinators. A growing amount of literature is currently showing that conventional farming systems differ from organic ones along various dimensions, including yield, water quality, agrobiodiversity maintenance, and climate change mitigation (Power 2010, Gomiero et al 2011, Kremen and Miles 2012). Diversified farming systems contribute to increases in agrobiodiversity, soil quality, carbon sequestration, water-holding capacity in surface soils, energy-use efficiency, as well as resistance and resilience in the face of climate change (Kremen and Miles 2012). Further systematic assessment of the trade-offs in conventional and organic agroecosystems is still pending
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