Farm Resource Management (FRM) - College of Agricultural ...

AWATT Farm Resource Management Training ManualCHAPTER 1:AGROECOLOGY AS THE FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR FRMTo be of benefit to the rural poor, agricultural research and development should operate onthe basis of a "bottom-up" approach, using and building upon the resources already available:local people, their knowledge, and their natural resources.It must also seriously take into consideration, through participatory approaches, the needs,aspirations, and circumstances of smallholders. A relevant FRM strategy requires the use ofgeneral agroecological principles and customizing agricultural technologies to local needs andcircumstances. Agroecological principles have universal applicability but the technological formsto be used depend on the prevailing environmental and socio-economic conditions of the targetfarmer group.BUILDING ON TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGEA logical starting point in the development of new pro-poor agricultural developmentapproaches are the very systems that traditional farmers have developed and/or inheritedthroughout centuries. Such complex farming systems, adapted to local conditions, have helpedsmall farmers to sustainably manage harsh environments, and to meet their subsistence needswithout depending on mechanization, chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other technologies ofmodern agricultural science.The traditional crop management practices used by many resource-poor farmers represent arich resource for modern workers seeking to create novel agroecosystems well adapted tolocal agroecological and socioeconomic circumstances. Farmers use a diversity of techniques,many of which fit well to local conditions and can lead to the conservation and regeneration ofthe natural resource base as in the case of indigenous soil and water management practices inAfrica. The techniques tend to be knowledge-intensive rather than input-intensive, but clearlynot all are effective or applicable, therefore modifications and adaptations may be necessary.The challenge is to maintain the foundations of such modifications grounded on farmers'rationales and knowledge.THE SCIENCE OF AGROECOLOGYAgroecology is a science that provides guidelines to understanding the nature ofagroecosystems and the principles by which they function. It provides the basic ecologicalprinciples for how to study, design, and manage agroecosystems that are both productive andnatural resource-conserving, and that are culturally sensitive, socially just and economicallyviable--offering several advantages for the development of farmer-friendly technologies. Insteadof focusing on one particular component of the agroecosystem, agroecology emphasizes theinterrelatedness of all agroecosystem components and the complex dynamics of ecologicalprocesses, including all environmental and human elements.Afghanistan Water, Agriculture and Technology Transfer Program 10