Belowground and Aboveground Sustainability: Historical Management Change in a Mediterranean Agroecosystem (Les Oluges, Spain, 1860-1959-1999)

Abstract

We examine the historical evolution of the farming practices linked to the maintenance of soil fertility in a semi-arid Mediterranean village.We analyse the agroecosystem from a sociometabolic perspective at three different points in time (c.1860, 1959, and 1999), focusing on the estimation of the nutrient balances and connecting the assessment of the belowground sustainability with the aboveground dimension of agroecosystem management. Nutrient balances at the aggregated scale were in greater equilibrium in 1860 and 1959 (with results between -7 and 1 kg ha−1) than in 1999 (with nutrient surpluses over 86 kg ha−1), but at the crop system scale nutrient deficits existed at all three points. We discuss the complexity of sustainable farming management assessing the efficiency, effectiveness, and durability of the fertilization techniques. Our conclusions highlight the unsustainable nature of industrialized agriculture and the value of integrated management of agroecosystems to improve agricultural sustainability.