Abstract:
Questions are continually being asked about the direction in which land
based production in the UK is evolving. Present systems are criticised
as being damaging to the wider environment and rural communities. Of
equal concern is the reliance upon non-renewable resources within
agricultural systems and the effect "modern farming" is having on
agroecosystem processes.
This thesis uses an integrative research approach to investigate the
sustainability of land based production. It is argued that the view of
what constitutes a sustainable system is constantly changing suggesting
that increasingly sustainable systems are those which evolve along
pathways which keep future options open. It is recognised that to do
this links have to be made between the concept of sustainability in
physical and social systems and the policy and decision makers who play
a major part in the change process.
A series of interfaces are explored using a variety of research
activities which demonstrate one approach for linking the concept of
sustainability to the provision of policy relevant information.
Silvoarable agroforestry is used as a research medium or case study
which enables the application of the research approach to an innovative
cropping practice which could possibly increase the degree of
sustainability of land based production.
The contribution of the thesis is interpreted at three levels.
1. The application of a integrative research approach to synthesis
information from both physical and social systems in a manner which
enables the concept of sustainability to be linked to human managed
production systems which interact with the natural environment,
2. The use and linking of several research activities, some of which
provide a contribution to methods of working within individual
disciplines, to provide a methodology for the assessment of the
potential of innovative cropping practices,
3. The assessment of silvoarable agroforestry as an innovative cropping
practice. Information is provided on the effects of these systems on
agroecosystem processes, the economic and financial implications of
their uptake, the technical issues as perceived by the farmers and
finally the likelihood of uptake of these systems.