Abstract
In Third World agricultural research of household-managed production units, the systems approach is applied in the form of Farming Systems Research (FSR). Several authors reviewed here have criticized the way in which this is done. It appears that most of them neglect the fact that most FSR belongs to the “hard” systems approach. The problem context (the household production unit and its surrounding socioeconomic system), however, consists of sense-giving subjects, which have conflicting goals and interests. Their thinking and behavior are determined largely by power relations. Therefore, in FSR, the hard systems approach should be discarded and a critical alternative approach should be developed instead.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, J. R., Dillon, J. L., and Hardaker, J. B. (1985). Socioeconomic modelling of farming systems. In Remenyi, J. V. (ed.),Agricultural Systems Research for Developing Countries, ACAIR Proceedings No. 11, Hawkesbury, Australia, pp. 77–88.
Anderson, R. S., and Morrison, B. N. (1982). Introduction. In Anderson, R. S., Brass, P. R., Levy, E., and Morrison, B. H. (eds.),Science, Politics, and the Agricultural Revolution in Asia, Westview Press, Boulder, Colo., pp. 1–13.
Ashby, J. A. (1986). Methodology for the participation of small farmers in the design of on-farm trials.Agr. Admin. 22, 1–19.
Bawden, R. J., Ison, R. L., Macadam, R. D., Packham, R. G., and Valentine, I. (1985). A research paradigm for systems agriculture. In Remenyi, J. V. (ed.),Agricultural Research for Developing Countries, ACAIR Proceedings No. 11, Hawkesbury, Australia, pp. 31–41.
Becker, E. (1986). Ecologie en Systeemdenken.Revoluon 11, 25–39.
Berry, S. S. (1984). The food crisis and agrarian change in Africa: A review essay.Afric. Stud. Rev. 27, 59–112.
Brouwer, R., and Jansen, K. (1988).Systems Age(d): FSR, Analyse en Kritiek, M.Sc. thesis Department of Rural Sociology of the Tropics and Subtropics, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands (unpublished).
Chambers, R., and Ghildyal, B. P. (1985). Agricultural research for resource poor farmers: the farmer-first-and-last model.Agr. Admin. 20, 1–30.
Chambers, R., and Jiggins, J. (1987). Agricultural research for resource poor farmers.Agr. Admin. Extens. 27, 35–52, 109–128.
Checkland, P. (1984). Rethinking a Systems Approach. In Tomlinson, R., and Kiss, I. (eds.),Rethinking the Process of Operational Research and Systems Analysis, Frontiers of Operational Research and Applied Systems Analysis Vol. 2, Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp. 43–65.
Churchman, C. W. (1984). Thought and wisdom. In Tomlinson, R., and Kiss, I. (eds.),Rethinking the Process Operational Research & Systems Analysis, Frontiers of Operational Research and Applied Systems Analysis Vol. 2, Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp. 67–77.
Conway, G. R. (1985a). Agricultural ecology and farming systems research. In Remenyi, J. V. (ed.),Agricultural Research for Developing Countries, ACAIR Proceedings No. 11, Hawkesbury, Australia, pp. 43–59.
Conway, G. R. (1985b). Agroecosystem analysis.Agr. Admin. 20, 31–55.
Davidson, A. P. (1987). Does farming systems research have a future?Agr. Admin. Extens. 24, 69–77.
Deere, C. D., and de Janvry, A. (1979). A conceptual framework for the empirical analysis of peasants.Am. J. Agri. Econ. 61, 601–611.
de Wit, C. T. (1986). Alleen de zon gaat voor niets op.Landbouwkundig Tijdschrift 98, 23–26.
Faber, D. (1986). The use of agronomic information in the socio-economic models of the Centre of World Food Studies. In van Keulen, H., and Wolf, J. (eds.),Modelling of Agricultural Production: Weather, Soils and Crops, Pudoc, Wageningen, pp. 329–340.
Flood, R. L. (1989). Liberating systems theory: Toward critical systems thinking.Hum. Relat. 42.
Flora, C. B. (1983a). Farming systems research and the land-grant system: transferring assumptions elsewhere.Rural Sociol. 3, 220–228.
Flora, C. B. (1983b). Farming systems research and farm-management research: What's the difference.Rural Sociol. 3, 292–297.
Frankenberger, D. (1986). Integrating livestock into farming systems research: An example from North Kordofan Sudan.Hum. Organiz. 54, 228–238.
Fresco, L. O. (1984). Issues in farming systems research.Neth. J. Agr. Sci. 32, 253–261.
Fresco, L. O. (1986).Cassava in Shifting Cultivation. A Systems Approach to Agricultural Technology Development in Africa, KIT, Amsterdam.
Garrett, P. (1986a). Social stratification and multiple enterprises: Some implications for farming systems research.J. Rural Stud. 2, 209–220.
Garrett, P. (1986b). Viable objectives for smallholder programs: Variation by social strata.Agr. Admin. 22, 39–55.
Gladwin, C. H., and Almy, S. W. (1984).Proposal for a Women's Farming Systems Research/Extension Project in Kenya and the USA, 1985–1987, University of Florida.
Holt, J. E., and Schoorl, D. (1985). Technological change in agriculture-The systems movement and power.Agr. Syst. 28, 69–80.
Jackson, M. C. (1982). The nature of “soft” systems thinking: The work of Churchman, Ackoff and Checkland.J. Appl. Syst. Anal. 9, 17–29.
Jackson, M. C. (1985). Social systems theory and practice: The need for a critical approach.Int. J. Gen. Syst. 10, 135–151.
Jackson, M. C. (1988). Systems methods for organizational analysis and design.Syst. Res. 5, 17–29.
Jiggins, J. (1987). Gender-related impacts and the work of the International Agricultural Research Centers.CGIAR Study Paper No. 17, World Bank, Washington, D.C.
Jones, J. R., and Price, N. (1985). Agroforestry: An application of the farming systems approach to forestry.Hum. Organiz. 44, 322–331.
Keulen, H. van, and Wolf, J. (eds.) (1986).Modelling of Agricultural Production: Weather, Soils and Crops, Pudoc, Washington.
Little, P. D. (1985). Adding a regional perspective to farming systems research: concepts and analysis.Hum. Organiz. 44, 331–338.
Marcotte, P., and Swanson, L. E. (1987). The disarticulation of fanning systems research with national agricultural systems: Bringing FSR back in.Agr. Admin. 27, 75–91.
Maxwell, S. (1986). Farming systems research: Hitting a moving target.World Dev. 14, 65–77.
McMillan, D. E. (1987). Monitoring the evolution of household economic systems over time in farming systems research.Dev. Change 18, 295–314.
Merrill Sands, D. (1986). Farming systems research: clarification of terms and concepts.Exp. Agr. 22, 87–104.
Norman, D., and Collinson, M. (1985). Farming system research in theory and practice. In Remenyi, J. V. (ed.),Agricultural Systems Research for Developing Countries, ACAIR Proceedings No. 11, Hawkesbury, Australia, pp. 16–30.
Oasa, E. K. (1985). Farming systems research: A change in form but not in content.Hum. Organiz. 44, 219–227.
Pemberton, C. A. (1987). Improving the methodological approach to farming systems research.Agr. Admin. Extens. 26, 91–100.
Peters, H. (1988). Farming systems: Nieuwe mode of doorbraak in landbouwkundig onderzoek?IMWOO 16, 3–6.
Plucknett, D. L., Dillon, J. L., and Vallaeys, G. J. (1987). Review of concepts of farming systems research: The what, why, and how.IARC proc. Workshop ESR, ICRISAT, India, 17–21 February 1986, pp. 2–9.
Postel-Coster, E. (1986). Boerinnen en boeren in de plattelandsontwikkeling: een voorbeeld van systeembenadering in Zuid-Mali.ICA Festival Paper, Leiden.
Rabbinge, R. (1986). The bridge function of crop ecology.Nether. J. Agr. Sci. 34, 239–251.
Raintree, J. B. (1984). A diagnostic approach to agroforestry design. In Wiersum, K. F. (ed.),Strategies and Designs for Afforestation, Reforestation and Tree Planting, Pudoc, Wageningen, pp. 252–273.
Shand, R. T. (1985). Session report approaches to farming systems research. In Remenmyi, J. V. (ed.),Agricultural Research for Developing Countries, ACAIR Proceedings No. 11, Hawkesbury, Australiam, pp. 89–94.
Shaner, W. W., Philipp, P. F., and Schmehl, W. R. (1982).Farming Systems Research and Development: Guidelines for Developing Countries, Westview Press, Boulder, Colo.
Simmonds, N. W. (1986). A short review of farming systems research in the tropics.Exp. Agr. 22, 1–13.
Tims, W., and Faber, D. (1986). Modelling food policies and food production.Nether. J. Agr. Sci. 34, 283–294.
Yudelman, M. (1976). The role of agriculture in integrated rural development projects: The experience of the World Bank.Sociol. Rural. 16, 308–325.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brouwer, R., Jansen, K. Critical introductory notes on farming systems research in developing third world agriculture. Systems Practice 2, 379–395 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01062322
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01062322