Opportunities, use, and transfer of systems research methods in agriculture to developing countries: Proceedings of an international workshop on systems research methods in agriculture in developing countries, 22–24 November 1993, ISNAR, The Hague

366 Pages·1994·3.98 MB·English

by  John K. Lynam (auth.)

OPPORTUNITIES,USE,ANOTRANSFEROFSYSTEMSRESEARCHMETHODS
INAGRICULTURETODEVELOPINGCOUNTRIES
Systems Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Development
VOLUME 3
ScientificEditor
F.W.T.Penning deVries, CABO-DLO, Wageningen,TheNetherlands
InternationalSteering Committee
DJ. Dent,Edinburgh, V.K.
J.T.Ritchie,EastLansing,Michigan,V.S.A.
P.S.Teng,Manila, Philippines
L. Fresco,Wageningen, The Netherlands
P.Goldsworthy, The Hague,The Netherlands
Aims and Scape
The book series Systems Approachesfor Sustainable Agricultural Development is
intended for readers ranging from advanced students and research leaders to
research scientists in developed and developing countries.It will contribute to the
development of sustainable and productive systems in the tropics, subtropics and
temperate regions, consistent with changes in population, environment, technology
andeconomic structure.
The series will bring together and integrate disciplines related to systems ap
proaches for sustainable agricultural development, in particular from the technical
andthe socio-economicsciences, andpresents newdevelopments inthese areas.
Furthermore, theseries willgeneralize theintegrated views,results andexperiences
to new geographical areas and will present alternative options for sustained
agricultural development forspecificsituations.
The volumes to be published in the series will be, generalIy, multi-authored and
result from multi-disciplinary projects, symposiums, or workshops, or are invited.
AIIbooks willmeet thehighest possible scientific quality standards and will beup
to-date. The series aims to publish approximately three books per year, with a
maximum of500pages each.
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedattheendofthisvolume.
Opportunities, use, and transfer of
systems research methods in
agriculture to developing countries
Proceedings of an international workshop on systems
research methods in agriculture in developing
countries, 22-24 November 1993, ISNAR, The Hague
Editedby
PETERGOLDSWORTHY
InternationalServiceforNationalAgriculturalResearch; TheHague, TheNetherlands
and
FRITS PENNING DEVRIES
DLOResearchInstituteforAgrobiologyandSoilFertility, Wageningen,TheNetherlands
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
AC.I.P. Cataloguerecordforthis bookisavaiIabIefrom theLibraryofCongress
ISBN978-0-7923-3206-0 ISBN978-94-011-0764-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-0764-8
Printedonacid-freepaper
AIIRightsReserved
© 1994SpringerScience+BusinessMediaDordrecht
OriginallypublishedbyKluwerAcademicPublishersin1994
Nopart ofthe materialprotectedby thiscopyrightnoticemay bereproducedor
utilizedinany form orby any means,electronicor mechanical,
includingphotocopying,recordingorby any informationstorageand
retrievalsystem,withoutwrittenpermissionfrom thecopyrightowner.
Contents
Foreword ix
Editorial xi
In memoriam C.T. de Wit xiii
SECTION A. AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABIUTY AND
SYSTEMS APPROACHES
Sustainable growth in agricultural production: the links between
production, resources, and research
J.K. Lynam 3
A case for setting common objectives for natural resource management
H. Zandstra 29
Discussion on Section A 41
SECTION B. THE ROLE OF SYSTEMS APPROACHES
AS AN AID TO POLICY DECISIONS AND
AS PRACTICAL TOOLS FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Supporting agricultural research policy and priority decisions:
an economic-ecologic systems approach
S. Wood and P.G. Pardey 45
The role of systems analysis as an instrument in policy making and
resource management
R. Rabbinge, P.A. Leffelaar and H.C. van Latesteijn 67
The development of strategies for improved agricultural systems and
land-use management
R.L. McCown, P.G. Cox, B.A. Keating, G.L. Hammer,
P.S. Carberry, ME Probert and D.M. Freebairn 81
Discussion on Section B 97
v
vi
SECTION C. NARS NEEDS AND PRIORITIES FOR ADDRESSING
NATURAL RESOURCES ISSUES
Needs and priorities of NARS for the management of natural
resources: Bangladesh
Z. Karim 105
Bhutan's research needs and priorities for the management of
natural resources: a small country's perspective
P.M. Pradhan, K. Dorjee and P.R. Goldsworthy 127
The institutional and organizational implications of integrating natural
resource management and production-oriented research
P.R. Goldsworthy, P. Eyzaguirre and L. Boerboom 139
Data requirements for agricultural systems research and applications
J.T. Ritchie and lB. Dent 153
Issues of development of an international soils and terrain database
L.R. Oldeman 167
Discussion on Section C 179
SECTION D. EXPERIENCE AT A NATIONAL LEVEL OF USE OF
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS METHODS
Multiple-goal planning as a tool to analyze sustainable agricultural
production options in Mali
E.J. Bakker 189
Needs and priorities for the management of natural resources:
a large country's perspective
Cheng Xu 199
The use of systems analysis methods-the experience at a
national level (India)
S. Sankaran 213
Opportunities for use of systems approaches in agricultural research in
developing countries-the Senegal experience in research systems
D.Y. Sarr 227
vii
The SANREM CRSP: a framework for integration of systems analysis
methods in a sustainable agriculture and natural resource management
research and development agenda
W.L. Hargrove, J.W. Bonner, E.T. Kanemasu, c.L. Neely and W. Dar 233
Discussion on Section D 247
SECTION E. TRAINING IN THE USE OF SYSTEMS APPROACHES
Requirements for systems research in agricultural and environmental
sciences
G. Singh, BK Pathak and F.W.T. Penning de Vries 255
Discussion on Section E 267
SECTION F. THE USE OF SYSTEMS METHODS IN RESEARCH AT
AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
Systems research methods and approaches at CIAT- current and
planned involvement
F. Torres and G. GaUopin 271
Systems approaches for crop improvement and natural resource
management research in CIMMYT: past and future
L. Harrington, J. Corbett, S. Chapman and H. van Keulen 281
CIP's experiences in the use of systems analysis and simulation
J.L. Rueda, C. Leon-Velarde, T. Walker and H. Zandstra 289
Experience of the use of systems analysis in ICARDA
H.C. Harris, T.L. Nordblom, A. Rodriguez and P. Smith 295
Systems analysis for agroforestry research for development: the
experience of and future use by ICRAF
D.A. Hoekstra 303
The use of systems analysis at international and program levels:
UTA's experience
S.S. Jagtap 313
viii
Capacity building and human resource development for applying systems
analysis in rice research
MJ. Kropff, F.W.T Penning de Vries and P.S. Teng 323
Systems research at WARDA
M. Dingkuhn 341
Discussion on Section F 351
Summary of recommendations 359
Acronyms 363
Subject index 365
Foreword
In December 1993, ISNAR, in collaboration with International Consortium for
Application of Systems Approaches, organized a three-day workshop on systems
approaches and modelling for agricultural development. Sponsored by the Dutch
Ministry for Development Cooperation, the workshop was attended by participants
from 12 national agricultural research systems (NARS), nine international agricul
tural research centers (lARCs), and five advanced research organizations (AROs).
Although application of systems approaches in agricultural research and resource
management is a rather new field, there is already increasing demand for implemen
tation of these approaches. This will require a critical mass of specialists in the NARS
and IARCs. Before this critical mass can be obtained, however, the experience that
has been gained in this area needs to be evaluated, further possibilities need to be
explored, and new objectives and targets need to be set.
This book, which contains the papers presented at the workshop, assesses the state
of the art of systems approaches in agricultural research, resource management, and
rural planning. It also gives an impression of the evolution of this interdisciplinary
field and its use in national and international research centers.
Another, less tangible, outcome of the workshop was its contribution toward
strengthening the network of NARS, lARCs, and AROs. It gave participants and
organizers a chance to develop contacts, and provided an opportunity to make the
first proposals for collaborative programs. Special thanks are due to Peter
Goldsworthy and Luc Boerboom for their crucial role in making the workshop a
success in this regard.
C. Bonte-Friedheim
R. Rabbinge
jy
Editorial note
These proceedings follow the same structure as the workshop. The papers and the
discussions that accompany them are ordered in four sections. Readers who are
relatively new to the subject of natural resource management, and unfamiliar with a
systems approach to research, will find Section A of the proceedings helpful. It
introduces the concepts of sustainable growth in agricultural production, explains
why a systems approach is required, and how this differs from the more familiar
production-oriented, commodity-based approach to agricultural research. Section B
contains papers that describe some of the systems methods available, and how they
are used to support decision making at different levels of organization in the
agricultural technology sector. In Sections C and D, some developing countries give
their perceptions of their needs and priorities for the management of natural resources,
with accounts of the institutional changes and the addititional information needs that
these changes imply. Those that have applied systems approaches in their agricultural
research give an account of their experience. Section E concerns some of the needs
and opportunities for training in the use of systems methods for scientists and
managers from developing countries. Section F contains accounts by the interna
tional agricultural research centres of the CGIAR of the systems approaches that they
have developed and applied. The accounts are a useful milestone of progress since
the last occasion when the centers gathered to discuss the subject of agricultural
environments at an inter-center workshop in Rome in 1986.
The discussions have been condensed and reordered from the notes of the 12
working-group sessions and the concluding panel discussion. The editors have done
everything possible to ensure that the reports reflect accurately what was said.
The editors wish to thank the contributors for their generous cooperation. We also
owe our gratitude to Gisela Soffner for tracking the documents so that nothing was
lost and for assisting in preparing the manuscript, and to Jacobine Verhage for helping
with the graphical work. We are particularly grateful to Pablo Eyzaguirre and Will em
Janssen for their assistance in compiling the discussion notes, and to Kathleen
Sheridan and Jan van Dongen for their sustained assistance with the editing and
preparation of the manuscript for this publication.
xi