Targeting perennial vegetation in agricultural landscapes for enhancing ecosystem services
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Heidi Asbjornsen, Virginia Hernandez-Santana, Matt Liebman, Jules Bayala, Jiquan Chen, Matthew Helmers, Lisa A Schulte. (30/11/2013). Targeting perennial vegetation in agricultural landscapes for enhancing ecosystem services. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 29 (2), pp. 1-25.
Abstract
Over the past century, agricultural landscapes worldwide have increasingly been managed for the primary purpose of
producing food, while other diverse ecosystem services potentially available from these landscapes have often been
undervalued and diminished. The incorporation of relatively small amounts of perennial vegetation in strategic locations
within agricultural landscapes dominated by annual crops—or perennialization—creates an opportunity for enhancing
the provision of a wide range of goods and services to society, such as water purification, hydrologic regulation,
pollination services, control of pest and pathogen populations, diverse food and fuel products, and greater resilience to
climate change and extreme disturbances, while at the same time improving the sustainability of food production. This
paper synthesizes the current scientific theory and evidence for the role of perennial plants in balancing conservation with
agricultural production, focusing on the Midwestern USA as a model system, while also drawing comparisons with other
climatically diverse regions of the world. Particular emphasis is given to identifying promising opportunities for
advancement and critical gaps in our knowledge related to purposefully integrating perennial vegetation into
agroecosystems as a management tool for maximizing multiple benefits to society.
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Author(s) ORCID(s)
Bayala, Jules https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8579-1248