Document Detail


Small farms, cash crops, agrarian ideals, and international development.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20235391     Owner:  HMD     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
This address is an exploration of a lifetime of disparate and often conflicting observations about how different people view what is right and good for agriculture, food, and farmers around the world. The exploration utilizes the concept of wicked problems to focus on the issue of differing historical interpretations of global agricultural development. Sandra Batie defines wicked problems as "dynamically complex, ill-structured, public problems" for which "there can be radically different views and understanding of the problem by different stakeholders, with no unique 'correct' view." The wicked problem construct is applied to four core ideas in the history of agricultural development -- small farms, cash crops, agrarian ideals, and international development -- to demonstrate the potential for using this concept to approach complex problems of historical interpretation and contribute to solutions to the challenges of global agricultural development. The author suggests historians should acknowledge contradictory interpretations adn work toward reconciliation and synthesis, where it is possible and, where not, toward a clear explication of the basis for remaining differences. The author also encourages historians to seek multidisciplinary research opportunities that will help bring insights about historical context to policy deliberations.
Authors:
Anne Effland
Publication Detail:
Type:  Historical Article; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Agricultural history     Volume:  84     ISSN:  0002-1482     ISO Abbreviation:  Agric Hist     Publication Date:  2010  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-03-17     Completed Date:  2010-03-31     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9885899     Medline TA:  Agric Hist     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1-19     Citation Subset:  Q    
Affiliation:
Economic Research Service, USDA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Agriculture* / economics,  education,  history
Crops, Agricultural* / economics,  history
Employment* / economics,  history,  psychology
Food Supply* / economics,  history
Food Technology / economics,  education,  history
Historiography
History, 20th Century
Internationality* / history,  legislation & jurisprudence
Social Change* / history
Social Class / history

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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