Agricultural sustainability and evaluation of ecosystem services aim at identifying how farm practices influence biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Agriculture delivers important ecosystem services that sustain the environment as well as human well-being.
Provisioning services encompass food production, freshwater provision, and raw materials such as fibers and medicinal plants. Regulating services encompass climate regulation via carbon sequestration, better air and soil quality, and natural processes such as pollination and pest control. Supporting services encompass soil formation, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity maintenance—essential for ecosystem stability and productivity.
In order to assess these services, a number of sustainable practices are used. Agroecology increases ecological interactions in agricultural systems. Conservation agriculture minimizes soil disturbance and enhances soil well-being. Organic farming does away with synthetic chemicals, conserving ecosystems. Ecosystem service-based sustainability criteria, furthermore, assist in measuring farming systems through quantification of important services such as pollination and recycling of nutrients.
These practices facilitate the shift towards more sustainable agricultural systems. Through their adoption, farmers conserve biodiversity, preserve vital ecosystem functions, and promote food security. This holistic approach not only is good for the environment but also enhances agricultural resilience against climate change as well as other global challenges. Sustainable agriculture is therefore a route to ecological and economic sustainability.