BIOL 3103

Do you want future generations to enjoy a quality of life as good as or better than yours? Combining the cultivation of different plant species may hold the answer to food security and meeting other material needs of future generations. Although human land use has often degraded the vegetation of natural ecosystems, this has not always been the case. The cultivation of multiple plant species in fields and forests has been a long tradition in cultural landscapes for the purpose of enhancing and sustaining the productivity of lands and forests. There is a rapidly growing body of scientific literature on the cultivation of multiple plant species often referred to as sustainable forest management, organic agriculture, or agro-forestry. This course critically discusses plant ?ecological aspects of agriculture and forest research.