Farming systems research: Concepts, design and methodology

Abstract

Farming systems of the present world have to meet multiple demands, e.g., supporting livelihood, conserving biodiversity, off-setting emissions, adapting to climate change. As a traditional way of farming, systems in different countries represent multiple crops (cereals, tree crops, vegetables, etc.) and multiple enterprises (livestock production, fish farming, bee keeping, etc.) on a single farm. A farming system is the result of complex interactions among a number of inter-dependent components, involving land, labor, capital and management. Farming systems research (FSR) therefore involves a multidisciplinary whole-farm approach and is effective in solving the problems of smallholders and marginal farmers, dominant in Asian and other countries in the world. In this chapter, we give a holistic picture of the research methodology followed in conducting FSR globally. There has been a much change in the methodologies of FSR since its introduction in the early 1970s, with more emphasis on farmer participation and on-farm research compared to farming systems optimization and system modeling in the later part of the 20th century. Efforts have been made to bring perceptional clarity to the researcher and general practitioner on the various methodologies used to conduct FSR and how an individual or integrated farming system can be designed scientifically for meeting the goals in a single or multiple objective framework. This will give an understanding of how to manage a poly-cultural system by integrating knowledge across disciplines and considering the interactions for social, ecological, and economic outcomes on multiple scales.