Hard vs Soft Science
Traditionally, agricultural scientists have undertaken biophysical research into the components of agricultural and horticultural production, processing and marketing (hard science). Whilst this has provided much useful information, it has two main limitations for sustainable agriculture:
- it has tended to be discipline-based, reductionist research; whereas agricultural systems are clearly complex and multistakeholder in nature and require systems-based, multi-disciplinary co-operative research initiatives; and
- it has largely overlooked research into the complexities of behaviour change, and the learning processes of individual farmers and growers and communities (soft science) -all of whom eventually drive the outcomes.
Much of the argument in this paper supports the general notion that the two basic general requirements for sustainable agriculture are good indicator information (biophysical, financial, social) and a good understanding of the processes of individual, organisational and community change (Donaldson, 1995). All too often, valuable initiatives and information are not fully utilised simply because policies and data are not consistent with the learning needs of farmers and growers. There seems to be some reluctance to accept the situation and to redress the imbalance between hard and soft science among traditional scientists and policy advisors (Smith, 1996).
Western science has a tradition of dividing scientific problems into discrete, manageable pieces, a process commonly referred to as reductionism. Many of our current agricultural and environmental problems can be traced to it. Equally characteristic is the belief in universal technologies - that technologies can be adopted and applied across the diversity of ecosystems in the same way (MacRae et al, 1989).
Historically science has been valued because of its objectivity, "truth-finding" and knowledge development. More recent thinking emphasises that knowledge is also influenced by what we experience and the socio-economic, cultural, political, and emotional context in which we perceive them (Maslow, 1966; Davenport, 1982; Busch & Lacy, 1983; Miller 1985).
These concepts are being incorporated into participatory research which requires the involvement of farmers and growers, and an interdisciplinary approach by the science team(Allen and Bosch, 1996). Participatory research is commonly described as an integrated activity that combines social investigation, educational work and action (Hall, 1981). This, in itself, creates tensions for scientists in today’s competitive market. Interdisciplinary teamwork suggests some anonymity and much information sharing. Both can be inconsistent with publishing for career advancement, and with intellectual property considerations of contestable science. To address this, the incentives, including future funding, for our scientific community may need to be redirected from outputs to outcomes.
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