The Effects of Agro-ecological Farming Systems on Human Health

As concerns regarding the effects of agriculture on human and environmental health mount, a growing number of farmers are seeking ways to improve health from the ground up. A promising way by which a growing number of farmers are seeking to improve environmental health is by using agro-ecological practices (i.e., farming more closely in harmony with natural systems), which include practices such as multi-cropping, ley rotations, and/or integrated crop-livestock systems. Despite potential ecological benefits, there is a lack of critical knowledge if consuming foods from agro-ecological systems impacts biomarkers of human health, including inflammatory and metabolomics profiles. The purpose of this project is to test the hypothesis that consuming foods produced using agro-ecological practices improves biomarkers of consumer health compared to consuming similar foods from conventional (monoculture) agriculture. All diets will be matched one-to-one in terms of macronutrients and food sources.