Advanced agricultural biotechnologies and sustainable agriculture.
Agricultural biotechnologies are anchored to a scientific paradigm rooted in experimental biology, whereas sustainable agriculture rests on a biological paradigm that is best described as ecological. Both biotechnology and sustainable agriculture are associated with particular social science paradigms: biotechnology has its foundation in neoclassical economics, but sustainability is framed by an emerging community-centered, problem-solving perspective. Fundamentally, biotechnology and neoclassical economics are reductionist in nature. Sustainability and community problem-solving, however, are nonreductionist. Given these differences, we might see the development of two rather distinct systems of food production in the near future.
Lyson
Thomas A
TA
Dept of Rural Sociology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. tal2@cornell.edu
D000383:Agriculture / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States