ECOLOGY AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHERS HAVE RECENTLY PUBLISHED THAT THE FUTURE OF ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS REQUIRES INNOVATING THE WAYS AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE STUDIED AND UNDERSTOOD. IN THE CONTEXT OF AGROECOLOGY AND SYSTEMS AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, THE SCIENCE OF A COMPLEX SYSTEM IN AGRICULTURE IS CHARACTERIZED BY SPECIFIC CONCEPTS AND ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES. HOWEVER, MANY AUTHORS WHO RESEARCH TOPICS IN AGRICULTURE SCIENCES USE THE WORD COMPLEX TO MERELY DESCRIBE SOMETHING WITH MANY INTRICATE PARTS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND RATHER THAN EMPLOYING THE CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF COMPLEXITY AS A SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS INTENDED TO SUPPORT GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCIENCE OF COMPLEXITY IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEM INTENSIFICATION, AND WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE METHODS OF STUDY AND ANALYSIS OF FARMS AS COMPLEX AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT WILL FIRST INVESTIGATE HOW CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF COMPLEXITY ARE STUDIED IN UNIVERSITY AGROECOLOGY CLASSES AND PROGRAMS. SECOND, THE PROJECT WILL RESEARCH METHODS OF ANALYSIS OF COMPLEXITY IN AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS. THIRD, THE PROJECT WILL UNCOVER PATTERNS IN THE AGROECOLOGICAL RESEARCH LITERATURE THAT INDICATE THE HISTORY OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AS IT RELATES TO THE CONCEPTS OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS. FOURTH, THE PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE HOW SOIL SECURITY CAN BE BUILT BY AGROECOLOGY RESEARCH PRINCIPLES.