Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century The New Dynamic [Hardcover]

Farming Systems Research has three core characteristics: it builds on systems thinking, it depends on the close collaboration between social and biophysical sciences, and it relies on participation to build co-learning processes. Farming Systems Research posits that to contribute towards sustainable rural development, both interdisciplinary collaborations and local actor engagement are needed. Together, they allow for changes in understanding and changes in practices. This book gives an overview of the insights generated in 20 years of Farming Systems Research. It retraces the emergence and development of Farming Systems Research in Europe, summarises the state-of-the-art for key areas, and provides an outlook on new explorations, especially those tackling the dynamic nature of farming systems and their interaction with the natural environment and the context of action.Offering an overview of 20 years of farming systems research, this book retraces its emergence and development in Europe, summarizes the state of the art, and examines new explorations into farming systems and their interaction with the natural environment.Part I: Farming Systems Research in Europe
1. Farming Systems Research: An approach to inquiry; Ika Darnhofer, David Gibbon, and Beno?t Dedieu
2. The origins of the European IFSA: The first meetings and the agenda renewal; Jacques Brossier, Caterina Contini, Luigi Omodei Zorini, and Artur Crist?v?o
3. Early Farming Systems Research and extension experience in Africa and possible relevance for FSR in Europe; Jim Bingen and David Gibbon
4. Textual analysis and scientometric mapping of the dynamic knowledge in and around the IFSA community; Marc Barbier, Marianne Bompart, V?ronique Garandel-Batifol, and Andr?i Mogoutov
5. Methodological themes in Farming Systems Research and implications for learning in higher education; David Gibbon
Part II: State of the art and key issuló0