Farming systems research and extension (FSRE) and other systems-oriented approaches are essential for addressing complex agricultural problems and developing sustainable farming systems. Conventional reductionist agricultural research has led to productive systems but also substantial environmental and human costs. FSRE is a farmer-based approach originally used in low-income countries to involve stakeholders in problem diagnosis, technology adaptation and evaluation. Agroecology provides an ecological basis for characterizing relations between agriculture and natural resources to develop sustainable systems. Systems approaches allow understanding of whole-farm impacts and identifying critical research needs.

1. Farming Systems Options for U.S. Agriculture: An Agroecological Perspective
Steve Oberle
Abstract
Agricultural productivity gains since the 1950s have resulted from the development of
farming systems that rely heavily on external inputs of energy and chemicals to replace
management and on-farm resources. The intensity to which the natural environment
has been modified to attain this productive capacity has directly resulted in degradation
of the natural resources, notably land and water, that sustain these systems. The
search for solutions to increasingly complex and interrelated agricultural problems
including sustainable agriculture, environmental quality, food safety, and rural
development requires a shift in both the scientific method and scale in which
agricultural research is organized and conducted. Farming systems research and
extension (FSRE) and other systems-oriented approaches fitted to agriculture are
viewed as essential approaches for addressing complex agricultural problems, and for
developing more efficient and sustainable farming systems. This article provides a brief
synthesis of research information from several technical reports that were presented at
a special symposium held during the American Society of Agronomy annual meetings
in 1992. The reports cover a wide range of topics including FSRE, agricultural systems,
systems engineering, information systems, and sustainable development.
The Problem
While conventional (reductionist) agricultural research and information-technology
dissemination methods have led to one of the most productive agricultural systems in
the world, this productive capacity, and the tools we use to sustain it, have not come
without substantial human and environmental costs. It is apparent that complementing

2. traditional research and education approaches with alternative and innovative
“systems” methods is required to address increasingly complex and interrelated
agricultural problems (i.e., sustainable agriculture, environmental quality, food safety,
rural economy), and to ensure that solutions developed are effective.
Literature Summary
Agricultural systems research and the contemporary science of agroecology provide
the theoretical basis for comprehending agricultural processes in the broadest manner,
and for developing more efficient and sustainable farming systems. Understanding of
ecological interactions occurring within these systems and the sustainable functioning
of the agroecosystem as a whole have become the primary goals of this approach.
Farming systems research and extension (FSRE) is a farmer-based systems approach
originally used in low income countries. FSRE methods were developed in large part to
address the needs of farmers operating more diversified farming systems in resource-
poor and risk-prone environments. Although FSRE methods have not been clearly
understood or widely used in the USA, there is a growing awareness of the potential
benefits of maintaining farmer and other appropriate stakeholder involvement in
agricultural research, education, technology development, and problem solving.
Agroecology, FSRE, systems engineering, information systems, and sustainable
development are examples of topics that will be examined in this report.
Study Description
This article provides a brief synthesis of research information from several technical
reports that were presented at a special symposium held during the American Society
of Agronomy meetings in 1992.

3. Applied Question
Why should FSRE and other systems-oriented approaches be encouraged in U.S.
agricultural research, education, and technology development?
FSRE is an essential approach for involving farmers and other stakeholders from the
beginning in research and technology development—from problem diagnosis, through
adaptation and evaluation. FSRE and other systems-oriented methods fitted to
agriculture provide a basis for identifying critical information-technology gaps and
prioritizing component research needs. This reduces the incidence of redundant
research (re-inventing the wheel) and the development of inappropriate farm
technologies. Farm-scale ecosystems investigations can provide a better
understanding of the direct influence of human action on both farming systems
structure and functioning, and potential off-farm ecological impacts.
Those applying systems engineering methods have found that if systems engineering
principles are adopted and applied properly, agriculture will benefit from clearer
problem statements, increased communication across agencies and disciplines, and
an enhanced ability to design and build high-quality, user-oriented farming systems
tools. Integration of agricultural research results and management information into
user-oriented technologies for farm recordkeeping, budgeting, and planning can aid
farm managers and agricultural practitioners in understanding complex interactions
among system components, and in improving whole-farm resource management.
Agriculture's role in complex, interrelated issues including environmental quality, food
safety, biodiversity, and sustainable development, among others, must be critically
assessed in defining and implementing future development options. Agroecology offers
a useful context in which to characterize the complex relations and adaptations among
natural resources (land, water, air, biodiversity) and agriculture, and provides the

4. ecological basis for research and development of sustainable farming systems.
Investigations of past and present agroecosystems should allow us to deal more
effectively with the increasingly complex problems that must be addressed, and to
chart a future course that will help ensure long-term agricultural viability and
sustainability.
Journal of Production Agriculture: Vol. 7 No. 1, p. 119-123