Potential for a New Generation of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems of the Future

Industrial agriculture, which is grounded in the industrial principles--specialization, simplification and concentration--that inform all industrial economies, has been exceptionally successful for the past half century. But, as we enter the 21st century this modern agriculture will be facing a number of serious challenges that may force the abandonment of these principles in favor of a more diversified, complex system of food and fiber production.