A Hierarchical Classification of Farm Systems

Fresco, L.O.; Westphal, E.

doi:10.1017/s0014479700100146

Cited by 50 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…Farm system: A decision-making unit comprising the farm household, cropping, agroforestry, and/or livestock systems, which transforms land, capital, and labor into useful products, which can be consumed or sold (adjusted from Fresco and Westphal, 1988).…”

Section: Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-Making to Diversify Farm Systems for Climate Change Adaptation

Zonneveld¹,

Turmel

Hellin

2020

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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On-farm diversification is a promising strategy for farmers to adapt to climate change. However, few recommendations exist on how to diversify farm systems in ways that best fit the agroecological and socioeconomic challenges farmers face. Farmers' ability to adopt diversification strategies is often stymied by their aversion to risk, loss of local knowledge, and limited access to agronomic and market information, this is especially the case for smallholders. We outline seven steps on how practitioners and researchers in agricultural development can work with farmers in decision-making about on-farm diversification of cropping, pasture, and agroforestry systems while taking into account these constraints. These seven steps are relevant for all types of farmers but particularly for smallholders in tropical and subtropical regions. It is these farmers who are usually most vulnerable to climate change and who are, subsequently, often the target of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) interventions. Networks of agricultural innovation provide an enabling environment for on-farm diversification. These networks connect farmers and farmer organizations with local, national, or international private companies, public organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and research institutes. These actors can work with farmers to develop diversified production systems incorporating both high-value crops and traditional food production systems. These diversified farm systems with both food and cash crops act as a safety net in the event of price fluctuations or other disruptions to crop value chains. In this way, farmers can adapt their farm systems to climate change in ways that provide greater food security and improved income.

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Section: Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-Making to Diversify Farm Systems for Climate Change Adaptation

Zonneveld¹,

Turmel

Hellin

2020

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…Hart describes agriculture as a hierarchy of systems wherein the cell is a lower level subsystem of the plant, the plant is a subsystem of the crop, the crop is a subsystem of the field and so on. Fresco developed Hart's model into a hierarchical systems approach with the aim of specifying the relationships in an agricultural system and deriving from this the nature of scientific inquiry required to understand such a system (Fresco and Westphal 1988;Fresco et al 1992). This approach distributes the traditional disciplines into horizontal, single level disciplines (e.g., entomology, soil fertility) and vertical disciplines (e.g., ecology or economics), which connect different levels in the hierarchy.…”

Section: Stratification Versus Hierarchy or A Flat Ontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Implicit Sociology, Interdisciplinarity and Systems Theories in Agricultural Science

Jansen¹

2009

Sociologia Ruralis

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Recurring political and economic crises in agriculture lie behind policymakers' demands for more interdisciplinary, problem-solving approaches. This article examines different systems theories in agricultural sciences that claim to adopt interdisciplinarity and to bridge a supposed gap between the natural and social sciences. It analyses the debates and differences between so-called 'hard systems' and 'soft systems' approaches, or positivist and interpretative approaches. It aims to make the confrontation between these two approaches more legible as well as to reveal the shortcomings of each position. In particular, the implicit and unsophisticated sociology underlying the hard systems approach is a key issue. Critical realist theory is explored as an alternative to both the hard and the soft systems approach towards interdisciplinarity since it opens up space for thinking in a non-reductionist way about multiple determinations without rejecting the value of single disciplines for uncovering the working of important causalities.

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“…Nevertheless, the analysis of the optimum farm plan indicates that the return from the Iimited land rcsource can be improved mainly by increasing the intensity of its use. Cropping methods arc transformed through various methods of intensification, particularly multiple cropping, permanent land use and the introduction of high yiclding varieties and crops maturing earlier than the traditional ones (Fresco and Westphal, 1988). Several areas of technological innovation have been analyzed (Tables 4.4…”

Section: Improvement Possibilities For Some Farming Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A group discussion with older farmers, clected PA personnel and extension agents of the PA (if any) supplemented the information from individuals. Based on Literature review: Westphal, 1975Ruthenberg, 1980Shaner et al, 1982Collinson, 1983Upton,1987 Fresco and Westphal, 1988 Bartlett's test of homogeneity of variances (Snedecor, 1956;Winer, 1971) (Snedecor, 1956;Winer, 1971;Kohout, 1974) cf. Sorne additional information was collected from the regional Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Coffee and Tea Development (MCTD).…”

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confidence: 99%

Improvement strategies for farming systems in the Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia

Emana

Storck

1992

Agricultural Economics

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57Bezabih Emana and Starck, H., 1992. Improvement strategies far farming systems in the Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia. Agric. Econ., 8: 57-77.Eleven distinct farming systems were distinguishcd, based on selected indicators and locations. The indicators involve the resource basis, cropping pattern and intcnsity, and the major activities including off-farm work. Statistical tests were uscd to vcrify the differences. Accounting for the givcn constraints and for the intcrdcpcndcncies of the system's componcnts, strategies are devcloped to improve their poor economie performance.A linear programming model is used to evaluate the cffects on farm performance of (a) reallocating the existing farm resources, and (b) introduction of improved technologies, The type of relationship among the clements of the farming system determines the ove ra Il outcome of any improvement effort. Groundnut and livestock production are highly competitive. A package of technological innovations is needcd to uchicvc a major improvcmcnt on the smallest farms.

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A Hierarchical Classification of Farm Systems

Cited by 50 publications

References 7 publications

Decision-Making to Diversify Farm Systems for Climate Change Adaptation

Decision-Making to Diversify Farm Systems for Climate Change Adaptation

Implicit Sociology, Interdisciplinarity and Systems Theories in Agricultural Science

Improvement strategies for farming systems in the Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia

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