Integrative research and sustainable agriculture

Sustainability is a term which is increasingly being used by researchers, politicians and informed members of the public. However, criteria for carrying out research within a sustainable systems framework are either ill-defined or non-existent. As an aid to this process the concept of sustainable pathways and viability space are introduced and interpreted as the need to maintain adaptive capacity, and therefore options within production systems that interact with the natural environment. A research approach is required which takes account of ecological, economic and social aspects of change and that is able to interpret and synthesise information, generated from a range of sources, in a manner which is policy relevant. This requires the construction of interfaces which link activities across a range of disciplines. A research project designed to assess the potential of alternative cropping systems is used to illustrate a series of interfaces. It is argued that demonstrating and developing the connections between the concept of sustainability and decision making processes provides an immediate challenge to those undertaking methodological research.