Agricultural Research Alternatives

Download or read book Agricultural Research Alternatives written by William Lockeretz and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Clearly, the debate is no longer over agricultural sustainability as a legitimate goal, but about how to fulfill that goal. Research is a vital factor contributing to the creation of a sustainable agriculture. Entrenched ideas about the way agricultural research is conducted have been challenged by farmers, environmentalists, food-safety advocates, rural activists, and others. ø William Lockeretz and Molly D. Anderson meet these challenges and chart a reasoned course through the fray. They analyze the potential and the limits of various research approaches associated with alternative agriculture: multidisciplinary research, application of ecological principles in understanding agricultural systems, emphasis on the use of agricultural information, use of working farms as research sites, and the involvement of farmers in agricultural research. They also propose reforms in institutional aspects of agricultural research?the organization of academic departments, evaluation of professional achievement, functioning of grant programs, and the education of agricultural researchers.