A holistic systems approach to addressing sustainability issues in the agri-food sector

Abstract

There is a need to inculcate an appreciation of sustainability concepts, issues and objectives in the minds of the next generations of landowners. A lingering feeling persists that farming is still to be viewed as a way of life, despite on-going technological advances that would make farming more of a science. Such a feeling is reinforced by the view that agriculture is more than just food production; it also involves the efficient use of scarce resources, stewardship of the natural resource base, the environment, and the ecological balance of species, sustaining rural communities, and maintaining the aesthetic appeal of the countryside. How then should we proceed to educate future landowners in all these matters? It is posited that one ought to begin by defining the term sustainability. Because sustainability is likely to be interpreted quite differently by members of distinct disciplines engaged in higher agricultural education, a definition of sustainability should be offered from the perspective of each of those disciplines. The reconciliation of these differences and methods of accomplishing this should be a necessary part of the education process. It is further posited that a deeper and more accurate understanding of sustainability in an agri-food sector context is likely to be best obtained by the student through a careful integration of curriculum content, the learning environment, and an effective delivery mechanism. Curriculum content should conjoin temporal and spatial perspectives with an inter-disciplinary perspective. A systemic learning praxis is suggested as an appropriate learning environment, and an effective delivery mechanism could be based on a team-teaching approach. Composition of the team should ideally encompass all disciplines, from the bio-physical sciences to the socio-economic sciences, plus engineering and medicine. A case-study approach is advocated as one effective means of teaching an appreciation of and need for a balanced interpretation of sustainability. The case-study setting affords adequate opportunity for evaluating sustainability issues in specific economic, environmental, biological, sociological, and/or other disciplinary contextual circumstances.