Farming systems research: A retrospect

The author examines progress made in farming systems research since the early 1970s, tracing its development up to the present.

He describes how the greatest progress was made in the 1980s, where land use systems were starting to be considered as variables in research and therefore subject to optimisation.

The 1990s brought an important change in farming systems research, with a series of methodological studies and analyses that responded to the need to incorporate environmental isues and sustainability of use of natural resources into systems programmes.

In the first decade of the 21st century, other challenges will imply changes in methodology and forms of participation.  The author concludes by suggesting there are oportunities for farming systems methodology to support studies of urban and peri-urban agriculture.