ERIC Number: EJ806516
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Jun
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-0112
EISSN: N/A
Nitrogen Fertilizer Dependency and Its Contradictions: A Theoretical Exploration of Social-Ecological Metabolism
Mancus, Philip
Rural Sociology, v72 n2 p269-288 Jun 2007
The global agro-food system relies heavily on inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers. In addition to consuming enormous amounts of energy, this manufactured input contributes to the accumulation of reactive nitrogen in the biosphere and undermines the biological basis of agricultural production itself. While technological inefficiency and population may play a role in the phenomenon of global nitrogen accumulation, the social structural features of industrial agriculture must also be examined. The concept of social-ecological metabolism provides an important and needed conceptual framework for engaging global food security issues.
Descriptors: Metabolism, Agricultural Production, Rural Development, Agricultural Engineering, Farm Management, Conservation (Environment), Inorganic Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Marxian Analysis, Rural Sociology, Food Service
Rural Sociological Society. 104 Gentry Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7040. Tel: 573-882-9065; Fax: 573-882-1473; e-mail: ruralsoc@missouri.edu; Web site: http://www.ruralsociology.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A