Decision Ecology in Operating Agroecosystem: The Business Process, Analytics and Design presents a multidisciplinary examination of how farmers make, process, analyse, design and execute decisions within complex agroecosystems. The book introduces decision ecology as a framework that brings together ecological, behavioural, cognitive, social and economic dimensions to understand agricultural decision-making.

The study investigates farmer decision-making through a comparative analysis of the New Alluvial Zone (NAZ) and Red Laterite Zone (RLZ) of West Bengal, covering Nadia and Bankura districts. It examines the influence of socioeconomic, institutional, psychological, technological, informational and ecological variables on different stages of the decision process. The research methodology incorporates purposive, random and snowball sampling, pilot study, interview schedules and statistical analysis.

A major contribution of the book is its treatment of decision-making as a sequential and hierarchical process comprising decision initiated, decision processed, decision analyzed, decision designed and decision executed. The results demonstrate that different factors exert different levels of influence across the two agroclimatic settings. The study also develops shared mental models and applies Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) for scenario analysis and understanding system-level relationships.

Prof. (Dr.) Sankar Kr Acharya is a distinguished agricultural extension scholar, educator, researcher, author, and academic administrator. He has served as the former Dean of Post Graduate Studies, former Director of Extension, and former Head of the Department of Agricultural Extension at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), Mohanpur, West Bengal. He began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at BCKV in 1988 and has more than 37 years of experience in teaching, research, extension education, and academic leadership.

Prof. Acharya is internationally recognized for his interdisciplinary research in Social Entropy and Energy Metabolism, Social Ecology, Environmental Sociology, Enterprise Ecology Framework, and Conservation Stewardship. He has published 261 research papers in national and international journals and has authored approximately 132 books. He has delivered numerous keynote addresses and chaired several technical sessions at national and international conferences. His academic influence is reflected in his reported research metrics, including more than 1,130 citations, an h-index of 13, and an i10-index of 14.

He has contributed as an expert member to several important governmental, academic, environmental, and development initiatives. His professional engagements include the Agriculture Commission and Marketing and Extension Sub-Committee of the Government of West Bengal, the Buxa Tiger Reserve Project supported by WWF, the DFID-supported District Primary Education Programme, and Rapid Environmental Impact Analysis. He has also served as Co-Principal Investigator in ICAR-, NAHEP-, and World Bank-funded projects related to conservation agriculture. He has successfully guided 23 Ph.D. scholars and 97 M.Sc. students.

Prof. Acharya is a Fellow of several professional and academic organizations, including the Indian Society of Extension Education, BIOVED, the Society of Community Mobilization, and the Society of Extension Education, Agra. He was also conferred the Fellowship of the West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology (WAST) in 2024. He continues to serve as an editor and reviewer for several national and international journals.

His academic achievements and recognitions include the Distinguished Scholar Award from Krishisanskriti, New Delhi; the Dr. Daulat Singh Memorial Award; the Distinguished Professor and Academician Award; the Eminent Scientist Award; the Teaching Excellence Award; and the Best Academician Award for 2026. He has also received recognition for his academic performance, professional contributions, and leadership in international scholarly forums. He has convened panels at World Congresses of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) on themes related to hunger, poverty, uncertainty, marginalization, agriculture, and human survival.

Prof. Acharya has served as an Expert Member of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), ICAR, New Delhi, and as a member of the Research Council of Vidyasagar University, West Bengal. His innovation-related achievements include a German utility model patent for a novel LOT-based inventory management system with radio-controlled pallet racking, as well as a design registration for vertical phenotyping devices for spice crops.

He has undertaken academic and professional visits to Italy, France, Germany, China, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. He continues to contribute actively to agricultural education, extension research, environmental studies, innovation, scholarly publishing, and international academic discourse.

Dr. Arnab Banerjee is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Just Transition Research Centre (JTRC), Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), West Bengal. His doctoral research, titled “Decision Ecology in Operating Agroecosystems of West Bengal: The Process, Analytics and Design,” explored complex decision-making processes within agroecosystems through advanced analytical and participatory approaches.

He earned his M.Sc. in Agriculture and Rural Development from the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI), where he was awarded the Gold Medal. He also holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Agriculture from BCKV and a Post Graduate Diploma in Agricultural Extension Management (PGDAEM) from the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, where he secured the first rank.

Dr. Banerjee’s research interests encompass socio-ecological systems, systems thinking, participatory modelling, human–environment interactions, behavioural science, decision ecology, agroecology, agricultural transition, rural development, and livelihood transformation. His work integrates interdisciplinary, data-driven, participatory, quantitative, and qualitative research methodologies.

He has published research articles in peer-reviewed journals, contributed chapters to scholarly books, and received national and international awards for best paper presentations. His professional experience includes teaching, training, capacity building, research, and knowledge management through engagements with MANAGE, a UNOPS-supported project, and PRMS Mahavidyalaya.

At JTRC, Dr. Banerjee contributes to research on just transition, focusing on policy-relevant approaches for developing equitable, sustainable, and inclusive transition pathways. His work brings together agricultural extension, behavioural science, systems research, and rural development to address emerging challenges in agriculture and society.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Decision Ecology: Concept, Process and Application in Business Ecosystem

Chapter 3: Review of Literature

Chapter 4: Research Setting

Chapter 5: Research Methodology

Chapter 6: Results and Discussion

Chapter 7: Recommendations, Limitations and Future Scope

Chapter 8: Conclusion