Discussing the the concepts of

‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable agriculture’

El Escorial October 2007Tor Håkon Sivertsen

Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and

Environmental Research

The content of a possible frame of agro

meteorology?• The scope of the scientific principle

in agro meteorology• The ethics as sustainability,

conservation of important relations

Modelling and agro meteorology

• Agro meteorological modelling is mainly making quantitatve scientific predictions to be used for supporting tactical and strategic decisions in agricultural crop producton

• In order to deeply understand what is the character and scope of such modelling, we must understand the scientific principle used for classifying and describing phenomena of nature quantitatively

• The operational use of models ought to be connected to ethics, defined as coservation of important relations.

A graphical representation

of aninterpretation

of thescientific

principle usedin agro

meteorology

The scientific principle( an interpretation)

We start by classifying natural phenomena (put them into classes and sub-classes) like

air, cloud, soil, atmosphere, vegetational cover, canopy, leaf etc.

Then we may attach measurable quantities to the phenomena, like mass, temperature, energy, leaf area index, momentum etc.

 

A Documentation System for Parameters

(a) Measured (b) In Models

 • Name of the

parameter• Unit• Defintion• Method(s) for

making measurement

• Representative-ness for certain phernomena

• Name of the parameter

• Unit• Definition• Representative-

ness of phenomena in model considered

• Representative-ness for phenomena in other models

Most of the parameters used in the models of agro meteorology and fluid mechanics I think, might be derived from physical concepts of classical thermodynamics, fluid dynamics and the radiation ‘laws’ of short wave and long wave radiation. In addition quantitative descriptios of biological phenomena have to be connected to the problems.

 

The scope of the scientific

principle

You should not use the scientific models outside their scope.

When it is possible and of any value to use the model systems within their scope, you should use them.

A very important actual challenge in complex modeling, is integrating data from different sources.

Discussing some

concepts I think conceptual discussions are of importance for understanding the scope of agro meteorology.

I would really like to have conceptual discussions going on connected to concepts used commonly like:’Ethics’, ‘sustainablity’, ‘money’, ‘ecological system’, ‘ecological production’ etc.

Below I will discuss the concepts of ‘suatainability’ and ‘sustainable agriculture’, and I start with a discussion on the concepts of ‘classification’ and ‘relations’.

Classification of

reality Man has classified reality dividing reality

into different class and subclasses and given names to the classes and sub-classes:

Mankind, parents, children, grand parents farmers, wholesale dealers, plants, crops, fields of cerals, leaves, apples, precipitation, houses, trains, horses etc.

Modern handeling of

information

Modern data technology has invented several ingenious systems ( database systems etc.) for handeling complex information containing classification of phenomena, attached attributes (numbers) and systems for manipulating numbers (equations) to the classes and sub-classes.

The concept of relations

When you take a look into a dictionary you will find several definitions and different meaning of the word ‘relations’.

I will use this word ‘relations’ in the following manner: It is possible to attach measurable(quantitative) attributes to sub-classes: The number of aphids in a field of crops, the relative humidity of the air etc.

A relation between two sub-classes is defined as some incident or act involving some of the attributes of the sub-classes. ‘The farmer brings apples his children. This is a ‘relation’ involving the sub-classes ‘farmers’ and ‘children’.

The concept of relations

Such acts or incidents or ’relations’, may be implemented quantitatively in database modelling systems. In certain database systems the classes also are considered to contain the incidents, the ‘relations’.

Important relations

Among the most important relations we have, are those relating man and woman, those relating people now living and the generations to come, those relating mankind and other species etc.

Attaching attributes to

important classes We may connect attributes

(numbers) to the agricultural production, the storage of agricultural products, the distribution, the consumption and the treatment of the waste.

(This invokes acting; and the acting involves classes and sub-classes, and these sub-classes we regard as very important).

The concept of ‘sustainablility’

The Bruntland Commision defined ‘sustainable development’ as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’

Sustainability relates to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society; as well as the non-human environment.

We may thus define ‘sustainability’ as conservation of important sub-classes including their relations. (Ethics is defined generally as conservation of certain sub-classes and their relations).

 

The concept of ‘sustainable

agriculture’

We may define ‘sustainable agriculture’ as conservation of important sub-classes including their relations. ( Ethics is defined generally as conservation of certain sub-classes and their relations).

Then we may invent technical systems( databases) accounting the attributes and relations of the important classes.

 

Characterizing ‘sustainabiliy’

• The main idea connected to this definition of ‘sustainability’ is that it is a relational system ( maintaining certain relations), and it is not a system having certain ideal ultimate characteristics.

• You will not be able to put up any way of navigating tpwards an ideal sustainable society, or governing an ideal construction of a society by using indices

The character and scope of indices/

indicators/parameters used for measuring ‘sustainability’ 

•It is defined many indicecharacterizing ‘sustainability’connected to the state and change of the society economocally, socially and environmentally•Examples are:Dow Jones sustainability indices http://, •See also http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/es/esi/

The character and scope of indices/

indicators/parameters used for measuring ‘sustainability’ 

•In Wikipeda on the Internet the following passage is written:Sustainable Development Indicators have the potential to turn the generic concept of sustainability into action. Today, however, we are far from achieving this potential. We can't currently find a standardized set of indicators and several private corporations are creating their own suitable for their purposes while international institutions are still trying to develop a generic Indicator for measuring and monitoring Sustainable Development.

Once more: Characterizing ‘sustainabiliy’

• The main idea connected to the above definition of ‘sustainability’ is that it is a relational system (maintaining certain relations), and it is not a system having certain ideal ultimate characteristics.

• You will not be able to up any way of navigating tpwards an ideal sustainable society, or governing an ideal construction of a society by using indices/indicators/ parameters

Research pn Cycling and Recycling of Substances?

In natural sustainable ecological systems we very often find systems for cycling and recycling of important minerals and also water.

I think there should be research to get systems on crop production connected to recycling of minerals in human societies. Elements of a small crop production system called ‘Tiny orchard’ is given below.

 

‘Tiny orchard’

• The main idea connected to a system for crop production called ‘Tiny orchard’ is to compile and to recycle minerals and organic sunstances

• The crop production is confined to a ‘tiny orchard’, and most of the waste connected to production and consumption should be recycled in the small system.

• There should be constructed systems through research for determining which organic products may be received by the system and recycled in the system

‘Tiny orchard’

• One should find ways of recycling the mineralsd of the feces, probably by some indirect system for recycling

• Also one should put research on compiling toxic substances in he tiny orchard and find ways of bring it out of the system, and not recycle such substances.

• The basic elements of a tiny orchard is production of vegetables , berries, fruit , herbs and plants for ornaments and decoration and smell, but it coild be extended with small dairy production or consumption of fish and marine life. And

‘Tiny orchard’

• Also the ideas of recycling migth be extended to cover ceral production, oil seed, wooden products, and metallic substances used for tools and transport. The idea is to find ways to compile and recycle such substances.

• Further more energy for transprt and production should be contained in the concept