Dialectical agriculture

Abstract

In order to produce a growth that is sustainable technologically, environmentally and economically, it is suggested that a dialectical approach in agricultural research and development needs to be adopted. The history of dialectics and related concepts on general systems theory, and cybernetics is described. The approach is discussed at the micro-level in relation to the methodology of agricultural research usually followed. It is examined in the context of newer developments in plant and animal biotechnological research and on farm experimentation in plant breeding and agronomic practices. It seems in most of the cases the approach normally followed is unidirectional - from input factors to the output. The strategy for sustainable crop production, however, depends on understanding how the plant production system influences and is influenced by the environmental system. In intensive cropping systems, plant growth extracts nutrients from the soil that adversely affects its health. If the health status of the soil is to be preserved at some desired level for future use, the production process gets constrained in that the production would become less than what it would be if we ignore the effect of increased production on the characteristics of soil. We have therefore to determine by how much the production gets lowered in maintaining the soil status. At the same time when soils deteriorate, as a feedback, the plant productivity goes, down. We have then to determine by how much the soil erosion is to be prevented to maintain the productivity at the same level. In other words, an appropriate sustainable production strategy would take into account both, the environmental effect of crop production process as well as the feedback from the quality of environmental resources to crop productivity. This seems to be a novel problem needing the coordinated efforts by agronomists, soil scientists. inicrobiologists, economists and statisticians.