• the soil and its life; - the plants, especially the unwanted ones; - the fauna, with emphasis on the control of pests; - the nutrient cycles and nutrient budgets (the driving force); - the connecting elements in the rural landscape, related as they are with lotting out. For each subject (session) two invited papers were presented in combination with a varying number of posters. All these papers were encompassed by the opening and closing lectures, which sketch the societal framework within which a more ecological approach of agriculture has to be worked out. In this overview the different elements are rearranged and assessed according to four major groups of problems: lotting out, nutrient management, soil treatment, and weed and arthropod control. It is concluded with some comments on the possibilities to realize more ecological approaches in the framework of farming-practice and EC-politics.