Knowledge, science, and practice in ecological weed management: farmer–extensionist–scientist interactions - Ecological Management of Agricultural Weeds - page 100

1. Farmers play a crucial role in the development of weed science. They invent,
adapt,and modify weed management techniques.To do this,they
employ varied approaches including observation,logic,experimenta-
tion,extrapolation,and calculated risk-taking.They integrate informa-
tion and recommendations from diverse sources,make decisions at
scales ofoperation not generally addressed by the research and extension
system,and form effective farmer-to-farmer communication networks.
2. Programs to improve weed management by farmers should focus on strengthening
farmer decision-making .Aprocess termed participatory learning for action
illustrates an approach for strengthening farmer skills for goal-setting,
experimentation,observation,record-keeping,and analysis,all key ele-
ments in decision-making.In this process,groups offarmers meet at
critical moments before,during,and after the crop cycle to discuss
current and alternative crop and weed management practices.Initially
farmers analyze their personal and business goals,propose experiments,
and suggest criteria for the evaluation oftheir decisions.During the crop
cycle,farmers work as a group to improve their ecological reasoning
through observation ofweed composition and behavior across a spec-
trum offields.They link observations with practices and evaluate the
timeliness and effectiveness ofeach other's decisions.At the end ofthe
crop cycle,they formulate improved weed management strategies based
on their conclusions and propose a study plan for the next crop cycle.
3. Weed science can benefit from a learning process that strengthens extensionists' and
scientists' links with the temporal and spatial scale of farmer decision-making. In a
routine ofregular interaction over several crop cycles,groups offarmers
with research and extension cooperators can develop farmer- and
researcher-initiated experimentation,field-scale monitoring,and analyt-
ical methods ofcrop and weed decision-making.This co-learning can
contribute to the general effectiveness ofthe weed research and exten-
sion system by making it more responsive to the concerns ofbroader
sectors ofproducers and society.
Knowledge and technology for weed management: an
historical perspective
Humans have been managing weeds for over 10000 years. The dis-
tinction between crops and weeds was one of the earliest human concepts dis-
tinguishing the beginning of agriculture (Rindos, 1984, pp. 137-43). Crops
such as wheat and squash were among the first plants to be cultivated rather
than simply gathered. Other species such as rye and maize were selected for
deliberate planting and weeding somewhat later (Minc & Vandermeer, 1990).