Multidimensional Perspective of Sustainable Agroecosystems and the Impact on Crop Production: A Review

Zanele Adams (), Albert Thembinkosi Modi and Simon Kamande Kuria
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Zanele Adams: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha 5117, South Africa
Albert Thembinkosi Modi: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha 5117, South Africa
Simon Kamande Kuria: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha 5117, South Africa

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-26

Abstract: Agroecosystems form a natural ecosystem component, allowing the proper classification of a regional biome at a global scale. It is important to view agroecosystems from a micro-environmental perspective given that they are characterised by a combination of factors, including the interaction of soil–plant–atmosphere conditions, which are largely responsive to human management practices. The published literature generally provides a limited explanation of the multidimensional nature of agroecosystems. In combination, agroecosystem practices promote efficient water use and nutrient cycling in defence of regenerative agriculture ethos. Sustainable agroecosystem practices can be combined to explain how to mitigate the risks to biodiversity. This study aims to present a review of predominant advances in sustainable crop production from the perspective of the agroecosystem. A hybrid methodology of data mining and interpretation was used to establish the meaning and relationships of the major research areas that have emerged over time and dominate the narrative of sustainable agroecosystem definition and practices. Crop diversification, sustainable soil management, integrated pest management, sustainable water resource management, and precision agriculture were selected using document summarisation and entity relation modelling to generate and explain relationships between various components of sustainable agroecosystems based on the existing literature. A major finding is the confirmation of comparable applications in different regions, whose explanation is enhanced by recent advances in data summation. This review concludes that sustainable agroecosystems are separable in meaning and impact. However, it is reasonable to recommend the need for future research into their integration for implementation and interpretation.

Keywords: sustainable agriculture; agroecology; crop diversification; pest management; soil health; water resource management; precision agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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