Extension and knowledge transfer: adaptive management approaches for timely impact
2014
KETTERINGS, Q. M.
In recent years, the term ‘adaptive management’ has become integrated in government agriculture and conservation programmes in the United States. Adaptive management is described as ‘a process of developing improved management practices for efficient production and resource conservation by use of participatory learning through continuous systematic assessment’, by the NEERA1002 Coordinating Committee on Adaptive Nutrient Management. Such developments reflect recognition by government agencies of (1) the need for continuous improvement in managing agricultural systems to enhance productivity and environmental protection at farm, state, watershed and federal levels, and (2) the effectiveness of continuous systematic assessment and an outcome-based evaluation in achieving and documenting such progress. Various methods have existed for knowledge development and transfer in the past, some effective, others less successful. The present paper presents and discusses lessons learned from three different adaptive management approaches, implemented at field, whole farm and regional/state levels, which contributed to improvements in field, farm and regional/state balances for nitrogen and phosphorus in New York. These examples show that a combination of governmental regulations and an innovative, outcome-focused adaptive management approach that includes research, extension, and a focus on human dimensions (a people-based approach) will be most effective in obtaining greater sustainability of agriculture in future years.
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