This thesis develops two related themes.The first is that participatory approaches to agricultural research and extension can provide a sound process for all stakeholders to learn how to develop more sustainable agriculture. The second is that appropriate levels of participation can be used to link knowledge from three important sources: local knowledge, scientific knowledge and experiential knowledge.The thesis develops these two related themes by examining the inconsistencies between esposed theories of participatory approaches (i.e.intended behaviour) and theories in action (i.e. what is actually practised).The study was based upon the work of a major research, development and extension (R, D and E)project known as the Western Farming Systems Project (WSFP),which was concerned with the development of sustainable rotations and cropping practices in south western Queensland and north western N.S.W. between 1994-1999. The study was conducted in the Balonne Shire, centred on the town of St. George, Queensland, Australia. / Master of Science (Hons)

Bibliography: p. 283-313. / xxxii, 313 p. : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Two systems of dryland cropping, one conventional and one conservation, were studied on the same farm over a period of 10 and 14 years respectively. The conventional cropping system was based on cultivated fallow which served to manage and conserve water, nitrified organic matter and controlled weeds. Stubble was burnt prior to cultivation for the fallow phase, with pasture and cropping phases rotated. The conservation farming system was based on the absence of soil tillage, stubble retention, rotation of a variety of crops and chemical control of weeds. Water conservation was achieved through increased infiltration by improved soil structure, avoidance of compaction, reduced water runoff and reduced evaporation by stubble retention. Overall, the conventional farming system was proven to be unsustainable. The conservation system was sustainable in terms of productivity, profitability and effect on the environmental resources of soil and water. The growing of sorghum as a summer grass in the Wimmera was also found to be an opportunity for improving productivity, profitability and sustainability by controlling winter weeds. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Agronomy and Farming Systems, 1998

Bibliography: p. 283-313. Two systems of dryland cropping, one conventional and one conservation, were studied on the same farm over a period of 10 and 14 years respectively. The conventional cropping system was based on cultivated fallow which served to manage and conserve water, nitrified organic matter and controlled weeds. Stubble was burnt prior to cultivation for the fallow phase, with pasture and cropping phases rotated. The conservation farming system was based on the absence of soil tillage, stubble retention, rotation of a variety of crops and chemical control of weeds. Water conservation was achieved through increased infiltration by improved soil structure, avoidance of compaction, reduced water runoff and reduced evaporation by stubble retention. Overall, the conventional farming system was proven to be unsustainable. The conservation system was sustainable in terms of productivity, profitability and effect on the environmental resources of soil and water. The growing of sorghum as a summer grass in the Wimmera was also found to be an opportunity for improving productivity, profitability and sustainability by controlling winter weeds.

Throughout the world, both producers and consumers of food are critically analyzing and enacting changes away from the globalized, industrial paradigm associated with conventional practices in agriculture and food production/distribution/consumption and towards the localization of food networks. Contributing to growing resistance movements aimed at gaining greater food security and sovereignty, local food discourses are strengthened by a combination of political, socio-economic, ecological, and cultural reasoning. This critical ethnography examines how knowledge and meaning is constructed in the context of an alternative food discourse through the personal and shared experiences of six participants in rural Saskatchewan. Further, the study explores the factors that influence participants sense of personal and/or collective transformation. Data were collected over six months using the methods of participant interviews, a focus group, and observation. Data analysis used temporal sequencing of meaning-making factors or ingredients that were categorized to detail how the creation and affective use of knowledge in transformative learning occurred in the context of localizing food networks in rural Saskatchewan.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of agroecosystems. The framework developed within this study is systems-based with the dynamic linkages between the system components explicit. The primary objective of the study was to develop a computer model, the Sustainable Agroecosystem Model (SAM), that dynamically integrates the economic and ecological components of an agroecosystem. The model was used to assess the sustainability of agroecosystems, defined by ecodistrict boundaries, in the Brown soil zone of southwestern Saskatchewan. The SAM was comprised of three components: (1) a soils model that simulated soil and crop growth parameters; (2) an economic model that simulated land use and cropping decisions; and (3) a habitat model that calculated habitat and biodiversity parameters. These components were largely self-standing models comprised of important processes of the soil, economic and ecological sectors of the agroecosystem respectively. To simulate the co-evolutionary changes of the agroecosystem the component models were dynamically linked, based on a one year time step, through selected input and output parameters. The output of the component models reflect elements of the natural and man-made capital stock of the target agroecosystems and were used as sustainability indicators. The concept of strong sustainability was adopted in the analysis such that changes in these indicators signal changes in the relative sustainability of the system. The study focused on two types of simulations: (1) the relative sustainability of four ecodistricts was assessed using baseline simulations. This analysis highlighted the importance of biophysical constraints to the sustainability of an agroecosystem. These simulations indicated that the development of production technologies and policy initiatives, targeting agroecosystem sustainability, should explicitly consider the regional biophysical constraints faced by farms; and (2) the relative sustainability of a single ecodistrict subjected to economic (carbon credit and carbon tax policies) and environmental (climate change) perturbations was evaluated. These simulations highlighted the difficulty in identifying a single policy that leads to a sustainable agroecosystem. In general, policies that resulted in improvement in some components of the capital stock caused degradation of other components. The Identification of preferred policy, in terms of agroecosystem sustainability, requires a weighting of system effects based on societal preferences, ethical responsibilities, degradation thresholds and system co-evolution.

Throughout the world, both producers and consumers of food are critically analyzing and enacting changes away from the globalized, industrial paradigm associated with conventional practices in agriculture and food production/distribution/consumption and towards the localization of food networks. Contributing to growing resistance movements aimed at gaining greater food security and sovereignty, local food discourses are strengthened by a combination of political, socio-economic, ecological, and cultural reasoning. This critical ethnography examines how knowledge and meaning is constructed in the context of an alternative food discourse through the personal and shared experiences of six participants in rural Saskatchewan. Further, the study explores the factors that influence participants sense of personal and/or collective transformation. Data were collected over six months using the methods of participant interviews, a focus group, and observation. Data analysis used temporal sequencing of meaning-making factors or ingredients that were categorized to detail how the creation and affective use of knowledge in transformative learning occurred in the context of localizing food networks in rural Saskatchewan.

Thesis (M.S.)--California Polytechnic State University, 2009. / Title from PDF title page; viewed on December 2, 2009. Major professor: Brent G. Hallock, Ph.D. "Presented to the faculty of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo." "In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree [of] Master of Science in Agriculture with specialization in Soil Science." "November 2009." Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-71). Also available on microfiche.

The transition from conventional to sustainable farming has been limited in Quebec by the absence of a comprehensive strategy, applicable at the farm level, to facilitate the transition process. This study summarizes the popular discussion pertaining to planning the farm transition, and the following six concepts that are useful to take into account when designing sustainable systems: vision, creativity, values, the efficiency - substitution - redesign spectrum, an holistic, systems perspective of the farm, and popular participation in the development process. Case studies of six farms in the early phase of transition are presented. Farm and farmer characteristics are detailed as well as the potential of each to influence the evolution of the farm. The outcomes of farm-level planning and activities in the first two transitional years are described. Particular attention is paid to the implications of creative visioning and approaches to problem solving, value adjustments, decision-making criteria, and the farmers' perceived restraining forces. A comprehensive, practical strategy designed to facilitate the farm transition process is constructed. This combines the current popular template for appropriate planning and the theoretical constructs of sustainable development, with insights gathered from the six case study farms. Finally, procedures for using the strategy are outlined, together with some requirements for its further development.

The Gikongoro Agricultural Development Project (GADP) was implemented in Gikongoro in 1990 and terminated in 2001. It covered 83,508 ha with 250,000 habitants and had a target group of 42,000 farm families, with an estimated total budget of U$ 31.2 million. Its objectives focused on land development, increase of farm crops, environmental conservation and protection, stores and roads construction and bank loans for small farmers. Its expected impacts included the increase of incomes, enhancement of nutritional status and the resolution of the employment problem. The project was closed without achieving these goals. On the basis of this situation, the following research questions were raised: • How and to what degree did inadequate processes of management and evaluation contribute to the GADP failure? • How and to what degree did external environmental events prevent the GADP from achieving its objectives? • How was the participatory development approach used by the GADP in the process of learning? • What were the main causes that led the GADP to fail? • What could be done and what lessons could be drawn from this experience for the benefit of ongoing and future projects operating in Rwanda? The answer to these questions required a review of literature regarding project management and evaluation principles and organizational environment. The methods used for data collection included documentation, systems thinking, observation and interviews. Thematic analysis and systems thinking were used for data analysis. The findings located the reasons for GADP failure in different problem areas. The civil war of October 1990 and the genocide of April 1994, and frequent droughts, swept away the GADP resources. The GADP failed to identify the real needs of the beneficiaries (farmers), coordinate its stakeholders’ activities, and cooperate and communicate adequately with them. This resulted in delays and budget overruns. The failure to bring together management and evaluation caused the project to be ineffective and inefficient in its management of resources. The GADP closed having made no significant positive impacts on the farmers, especially women. To prevent future potential failures, it is recommended to introduce systems thinking in Rwandan higher education programs and to develop strong partnerships between public and private role players. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

This study employed qualitative research methods to explore the motivations, perceptions, and regional contextual factors that influence the management decisions of small-scale farmers in East Central Indiana (ECI). In-depth, semi-structured interviews with 15 key informants and 29 farmers were recorded, transcribed, and coded using content analysis to understand the factors most relevant to small-scale farming in the region. Several important themes and subthemes arose in the data related to farming motivations, barriers to farm sustainability, and farmer learning and education. The results of this study complement the findings of previous work that describe the complex framework farmers navigate when making decisions on the farm. Still, this study identifies subtle regional factors (i.e., market conditions, farming culture, local economy)that significantly impact farmers’ decisions, and emphasizes the importance of local context in crafting agricultural policies and outreach efforts. Implications and recommendations for East Central Indiana are discussed. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management