An Asian Pacific Sustainable Agriculture Research and Application Consortium: Concepts, Principles, and Starting Points

摘要

Success in sustainable agriculture requires at least two principal contributions: (1) the very best scientific knowledge and (2) the most perceptive indigenous knowledge of local farmers. This required combination provides special advantages to the Asia-Pacific region because of the region's very long record of highly successful farming and intensive agriculture, often under adverse circumstances. There remains the challenge of advancing this knowledge even further through the incorporation of advanced scientific knowledge. Through the National Research Council of the United States, a range of perceptive studies of science for sustainable agriculture has been conducted. These studies include Alternative Agriculture (1989), Toward Sustainability (1991), Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education in the Field (1991), and Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem-Solving (1986). Using these texts as reference, factors important for sustainable agriculture systems will be reviewed. These include community ecology, scales in space and time, biological monitoring, and risk and uncertainty; comparative studies, long-term cropping system research; integrated pest management and biological control of pests; soil and nutrient management; and management of animal wastes. Factors essential for development of effective collaborative programs will also be reviewed. These include the use and value of collaborative research support programs; international exchanges and education of scholar-practitioners', management of broadly-based consortial programs; and innovations for studying systems complexity.