More than energy transformations: A historical transition from organic to industrialised farm systems in a Mediterranean village (Les Oluges, Catalonia, 1860-1959-1999)The analysis of energy efficiency of agroecosystems from a sociometabolic perspective is a useful way to assess the sustainability of farm systems. In this article we examine the transition of a Mediterranean agroecosystem from an organic farm system in the mid nineteenth century to an industrialised one at the end of the twentieth century by means of the technologies and ideology of the Green Revolution. Given that many of the world's agricultural systems have experienced, or are currently experiencing this transformation, our results are relevant for building more sustainable agricultural systems in future. Our results highlight the relevance of livestock density, and the flows of biomass reused and unharvested biomass as key elements affecting the sustainability of the agroecosystem not only from a socioeconomic perspective, but also from an agroecological point of view. Additionally, from a biocultural perspective our investigation sustains the relevance of the study of traditional farm systems for the development of a sustainable agriculture.

This paper studies 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 the agroecosystem management. Nutrient balances at the aggregated scale were more equilibrated in 1860 and 1959 (with results between-6 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 the points in time. We discuss the complexity of sustainable farming management assessing the efficiency, accomplishment and durability of the fertilization techniques. Our conclusions highlight the unsustainability of industrialized agriculture and the value of integrated management of agroecosystems to improve agricultural sustainability.