  The emergence and impact of tipping points have garnered significant interest
in both the social and natural sciences. Despite widespread recognition of the
importance of feedbacks between human and natural systems, it is often assumed
that the observed nonlinear dynamics in these coupled systems rests within
either underlying human or natural processes, rather than the rates at which
they interact. Using adoption of agricultural diversification practices as a
case study, we show how two stable management paradigms (one dominated by
conventional, homogeneous practices, the other by diversified practices) can
emerge purely from temporal feedbacks between human decisions and ecological
responses. We explore how this temporal mechanism of tipping points provides
insight into designing more effective interventions that promote farmers
transitions towards sustainable agriculture. Moreover, our flexible modeling
framework could be applied to other cases to provide insight into numerous
questions in social-ecological systems research and environmental policy.
