Energy analysis of agricultural ecosystem management: human return and sustainability

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present a different perspective in energy analysis of ecological and agricultural systems. A set of parameters derived from energy analysis is proposed to examine the ecological aspects of agricultural management. In this way cost/benefit analysis can be extended also to the ‘biophysical capital’ responsible for the sustainability of agricultural production. The text is divided into parts: first, the basic concepts related to the thermodynamics of biophysical systems are examined to provide a theoretical framework; second, numerical examples illustrate the assessment of the trade-offs between ecosystem stability and human return in food production when natural ecosystems are altered.