The origins of AEA lie in efforts to improve the analysis of natural ecosystems (Walker et al., 1978), but most of the concepts and techniques were developed at the University of Chiang Mai in Thailand beginning in 1978 (Gypmantasiri et al., 1980). These were refined and elaborated at the University of Khon Kaen, also in Thailand, by a group of university and government research workers in Indonesia (as part of the Kelompok Penelitian Agro-ekosistem (KEPAS)) and by the Southeast Asia Universities Agroecosystems Network (SUAN).