Innovative research approaches for mountain regions: operationalizing systems integration at farm and landscape scales

Most research in support of agricultural developmen t and natural resource management in densely settled mountain ecosystems continues to emphasize compone nt over systems-level goals. Research by plant breeders, (agro)foresters and animal scien tists is generally designed to maxi mize the yield of products within their particular areas of expertise (edible plant pa rts, tree products and livestock products, respectively), while soil scientists aim largely to in crease soil nutrient stocks. At land scape level the same dynamic holds within the agronomic sciences, while water engineer s work independently to conserve water through its isolation from broader landscape dynamics, and other common property resources remain largely ignored. Opportunities to foster positive synergies between system components, and to integrate livelihood with conservation goals, are generally missed. This paper presents experiences of the African Highla nds Initiative, an ecoregional program of the CGIAR and a network of ASARECA (the Association for Strengt hening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa), in operationalizing integrated research at farm and landscape scale. Following a discussion of the shortcomings of the conventional research paradigm, th e paper lays a conceptual foundation for integrated research. System components at farm and landscape level are delineated, and this somewhat arbitrary conceptual partitioning of agroecological systems s hown to influence the current research paradigm as well as the partitioning of institutional m andates. Diverse meanings of systems integration are then discussed to illustrate the synergies that might be built into agr icultural and natural resource research programs. The distinction between the logic of maximization and optim ization is then utilized to distinguish between component and “system-level” goals. This conceptual overview is followed up with several case studies to illustrate how these concepts can guide the formula tion of integrated research objectives, methods and outputs at farm and landscape scale. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of this alternative research paradigm for the structure, function and skill base of national and international research systems.

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