An ecological systems conceptual framework for agricultural research and development.

Abstract

The primary purpose of this paper is to describe a general agricultural systems conceptual framework that can serve as a starting point for a multidisciplinary team. A conceptual framework is a model, and like any model, represents a simplification of reality. Simplification involves assumptions, which in effect are hypotheses as to the structure and function of the unit under study. The validity of these assumptions and the potential of the conceptual framework can best be evaluated by applying the model to reality and analyzing the results. In this paper I describe an ecological systems conceptual framework and apply this model to the reality of the agricultural production process of Central American small farmers. A system is an arrangement of components that function as a unit. Biological and physical systems are open systems, i.e., they interact with their environments, processing inputs to produce outputs. The systems approach was pioneered in biology by Smuts with his introduction of the concept of Holism in 1926 (Becht, 1974). In the early 1930's, von Bertalanffy (1968) formulated what he defined as a General Systems Theory.