Exploring the Impact of Different Field Management Practices on Fluxes in Tea Field within a Social-Ecological Systems Framework

    Agricultural activities play a critical role in the biogeochemical cycles of the Earth’s Critical Zone (CZ), encompassing the exchanges of carbon, water, nitrogen, and other essential elements between the atmosphere, soil, and ecosystems. Within this CZ system, field management practices directly influence microclimatic conditions and further alter water budgets and the emission or sequestration of greenhouse gases. These changes significantly affect the physical and chemical processes, and ecological balance within the agricultural CZ. Moreover, farmers’ field management behaviors are often shaped by their social networks, where past field experiences, technical knowledge, market dynamics, and policy frameworks influence their decision-making and filed applications. These behaviors, in turn, impact microclimatic conditions and biogeochemical cycles at different scales. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for ensuring the sustainability of agricultural production and environmental systems.

    In Asia, tea cultivation is a high-value agricultural activity that represents a complex social-ecological system (SES) involving farmers' social networks, biogeochemical cycles, and field microclimatic characteristics. To examine the mechanism in this complex system, we conducted the measurement with eddy-covariance flux system in two adjacent tea fields managed under two different practices (organic-certified and conventional) in a mountainous watershed in northeastern Taiwan. The preliminary findings from the past few years show that these two plantations exhibit distinct microclimatic characteristics, influenced by the differing management approaches. The results from the flux measurements have significant scientific implications. First, the contrasting microclimatic patterns demonstrate the substantial impact of local stakeholders and their associated social networks on field management behaviors and regional biogeochemical processes. Second, the results provide valuable data for stakeholders, including farmers, local government, and water resource administration, guiding them toward strategies that align with agricultural and environmental sustainability objectives. These findings offer actionable insights to optimize resource use, reduce environmental impacts, and enhance resilience in agricultural systems.

    This study demonstrates the value of integrating research on agricultural activities, field management behaviors, and social networks to comprehensively understand the interplay between human behavior and natural processes within the agricultural CZ, offering a robust scientific basis for promoting sustainable development.