Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4rdrl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T15:13:03.278Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Short Review of Farming Systems Research in the Tropics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

N. W. Simmonds
Affiliation:
Edinburgh School of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, Scotland

Summary

Farming systems research (FSR) has come to prominence as a part of tropical agricultural research in the past decade or so. The main stimulus was the growing realization that small farmers are ‘economically rational’ and agricultural economists have been the leading agents in developing FSR ideas. Three broad aspects are distinguished: (1) FSR sensu stricto, the deep analysis of farming systems as they exist, which is essentially an academic activity, (2) OFR/FSP (‘on farm research with farming systems perspective’), a practical adjunct to research which seeks to test the socio-economic suitability of research ideas on-farm before recommending extension and (3) NFSD (‘new farming systems development’) which seeks to develop complex, radical change rather than the stepwise change characteristic of OFR/FSP. The technical components of NFSD are probably mostly available but the necessary transdisciplinary, synthetic thinking is not. Research on perennial plants in tropical agriculture has been rather neglected but there are signs of growing concern; they must be an important feature of any NFSD for the wetter areas.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bunting, A. H. & Watts-Padwick, G. (1983). Fifty years of Experimental Agriculture. People, politics and policies. Experimental Agriculture 19:113.Google Scholar
Byerlee, D. & Collinson, M. P. (1980). Planning Technologies Appropriate to Farmers: Concepts and Procedures. El Batán, Mexico: CIMMYT.Google Scholar
Byerlee, D., Harrington, L. & Winkelmann, D. (1982). Farming systems research: issues in research strategy and technology design. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 64:897904.Google Scholar
CIMMYT (1981). Assessing farmers needs in designing technology. IADS Occasional Papers. New York: IADS.Google Scholar
Collinson, M. P. (1982). Farming systems research in eastern Africa: the experience of CIMMYT and some national agricultural research services, 1976–81. Michigan State University International Development Paper 3.Google Scholar
Collinson, M. P. (1983). Farm Management in Peasant Agriculture (2nd edition). Boulder, Co, USA: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Collinson, M. P. (1984). Diagnosing the problems of small farmer needs. In Proceedings IV Agricultural Sector Symposium, 124–46. Washington: World Bank.Google Scholar
Dillon, J. L., Plucknett, D. L., & Vallaeys, G. J. (1978). Farming Systems Research at the International Agricultural Research Centres. Rome: TAC of CGIAR.Google Scholar
Gilbert, E. H., Norman, E. W. & Winch, F. E. (1980). Farming systems research: a critical appraisal. Michigan State University Rural Development Paper 6.Google Scholar
Harwood, R. R. (1979). Small Farm Development. Understanding and Improving Farming Systems in the Tropics. Boulder, Co, USA: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Huxley, P. A. (ed.) (1983). Plant Research and Agroforestry. Nairobi, Kenya: ICRAF.Google Scholar
Mellor, J. W. (1966). The Economics of Agricultural Development. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Norman, D. W. (1974). Rationalising mixed cropping under indigenous conditions: the example of northern Nigeria, Journal of Development Studies 11:321.Google Scholar
Norman, D. W. (1978). Farming systems research to improve the livelihood of small farmers. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 60:813–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norman, D. W. (1980). The farming systems approach: relevancy for the small farmer. Michigan State University Rural Development Paper 5.Google Scholar
Norman, D. W., Simmons, E. B. & Hays, H. M. (1982). Farming Systems in the Nigerian Savanna. Research and Strategies for Development. Boulder, Co, USA: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Okigbo, B. N. & Greenland, D. J. (1977). Intercropping systems in tropical Africa. In Multiple Cropping, 63101 (Eds Pappendick, R. I.et al.) Madison, Wis, USA: American Society of Agronomy.Google Scholar
Perrin, R. K., Winkelmann, D. L., Moscardi, E. R. & Anderson, J. R. (1976). From Agronomic Data to Farmer Recommendations: an Economics Training Manual. Information Bulletin 27. El Batán, Mexico: CIMMYT.Google Scholar
Ruthenberg, H. (1980). Farming Systems in the Tropics (3rd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Simmonds, N. W. (1985). Farming Systems Research, a Review. Washington, DC, USA: World Bank.Google Scholar
Watson, G. A. (1980). A Study of Tree Crop Farming Systems in the Lowland Humid Tropics. Washington, DC, USA: World Bank.Google Scholar
Watson, G. A. (1983). Development of mixed tree and food crop systems in the humid tropics: a response to population pressure and deforestation. Experimental Agriculture 19:311332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willey, R. W. (1979). Intercropping - its importance and research needs. Field Crop Abstracts 32:110, 7385.Google Scholar
Zandstra, H. G. (1979). Cropping systems for the Asian rice farmer. Agricultural Systems 4:135–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zandstra, H. G., Price, E. C., Litsinger, J. A. & Morris, R. A. (1981). A Methodology for On-Farm Cropping Systems Research. Los Baños, Philippines: IRRI.Google Scholar
Zandstra, H., Swanberg, K., Zulberti, C. & Nestel, B. (1979). Caqueza: Living Rural Development. Ottawa, Canada: IDRC.Google Scholar