An investigation into the transition from technological to ecological rice farming among resource poor farmers from the Philippine island of Bohol

Abstract

A conceptual framework influenced bythe concept of moral ecology is developed andused to analyze the transition fromtechnological (green revolution) to ecological(organic) rice farming by resource poor farmersfrom the Philippine island of Bohol. This MoralEcology Framework (MEF) focuses on theepistemology of the two farming systems and howthis influences management principles andpractice. The orienting concepts of systemic understanding, exchange betweensociety and the environment, local versusextra-local exchange and scope areintegral to this analysis. The case studydemonstrates how the ostracism of nature underthe green revolution coupled with itsinflexible production options affected thesustainability of some local rice farmingsystems. Whereas the transition to organicfarming and the concomitant incorporation ofecological processes and more flexibleproduction options has allowed local farmers toenhance the sustainability of their farmingsystems by altering the exchange processeswithin the socio-ecological system.