Industrial vs ecological agriculture

the long version

This book traces the origin of industrial agriculture, and argues that modern agriculture is pivoted on the typically west European notion of subjugation of nature by techno-military supremacy. As a result, modern industrial agriculture has irrevocably disintegrated natural agroecosystems (e.g. agroforestry), and promoted intensified production systems, based on monocultures of crops and toxic agrochemicals. Industrial agriculture is highly unsustainable, and crop yields tend to progressively decline, because the on-farm biodiversity is destroyed by application of toxic agrochemicals. As a result, this destructive mode of production elicits buildup of resistant pests and pathogens, depletes soil nutrients and groundwater stock, and jeopardizes public health across generations. In contrast, the existing models of biodiversity-based ecological agriculture worldwide, show significantly greater yield stability, productivity, and resilience than industrial agriculture.