The Experts below are selected from a list of 321 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Hugo Fjelsted Alrøe - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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combining luhmann and actor network theory to see Farm Enterprises as self organizing systems
Cybernetics and Human Knowing, 2006Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:From a rural, sociological point of view no social theories have so far been able to grasp the ontological complexity and special character of a Farm Enterprise as an entity in a really satisfying way. The contention of this paper is that a combination of Luhmann’s theory of social systems and the actor-network theory (ANT) of Latour, Callon, and Law offers a new and radical framework for understanding a Farm as a self-organizing, heterogeneous system. Luhmann’s theory offers an approach to understand a Farm as a self-organizing system (operating in meaning) that must produce and reproduce itself through demarcation from the surrounding world by selection of meaning. The meaning of the system is expressed through the goals, values, and logic of the Farming processes. This theory is, however, less useful when studying the heterogeneous character of a Farm as a mixture of biology, sociology, technology, and economy. ANT offers an approach to focus on the heterogeneous network of interactions of human and non-human actors, such as knowledge, technology, money, Farmland, animals, plants, etc., and how these interactions depend on both the quality of the actors and the network context of interaction. But the theory is weak when it comes to explaining the self-organizing character of a Farm Enterprise. Using Peirce’s general semiotics as a platform, the two theories in combination open a new and radical framework for multidisciplinary studies of Farm Enterprises that may serve as a platform for communication between the different disciplines and approaches.
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Combining Luhmann and Actor-Network Theory to see Farm Enterprises as Self-organizing Systems ∗
Cybernetics and Human Knowing, 2006Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:From a rural, sociological point of view no social theories have so far been able to grasp the ontological complexity and special character of a Farm Enterprise as an entity in a really satisfying way. The contention of this paper is that a combination of Luhmann’s theory of social systems and the actor-network theory (ANT) of Latour, Callon, and Law offers a new and radical framework for understanding a Farm as a self-organizing, heterogeneous system. Luhmann’s theory offers an approach to understand a Farm as a self-organizing system (operating in meaning) that must produce and reproduce itself through demarcation from the surrounding world by selection of meaning. The meaning of the system is expressed through the goals, values, and logic of the Farming processes. This theory is, however, less useful when studying the heterogeneous character of a Farm as a mixture of biology, sociology, technology, and economy. ANT offers an approach to focus on the heterogeneous network of interactions of human and non-human actors, such as knowledge, technology, money, Farmland, animals, plants, etc., and how these interactions depend on both the quality of the actors and the network context of interaction. But the theory is weak when it comes to explaining the self-organizing character of a Farm Enterprise. Using Peirce’s general semiotics as a platform, the two theories in combination open a new and radical framework for multidisciplinary studies of Farm Enterprises that may serve as a platform for communication between the different disciplines and approaches.
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The challenge of management of multidimensional Enterprises analysed from a logo-poietic perspective
2005Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:The challenge to multidimensional Farm management is analysed and discussed from the perspective of the Farm Enterprise, explored within a logo-poietic framework as a self-organising system/network. In conclusion, development of management of multidimensional Farming takes: a reconstruction of the values, ideas, and meaning around which the Farm Enterprises are organised, a new way of increase of nonredundant complexity, shifting from dimension reduction to contextualisation, and a development of interactive relationships that facilitate network building of multidimensional Farming.
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Combining Luhmann and Actor-Network Theory to See Farm Enterprises as
2005Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:3From a rural, sociological point of view no social theories have so far been able to grasp theontological complexity and special character of a Farm Enterprise as an entity in a really satisfyingway. The contention of this paper is that a combination of Luhmanns theory of social systems andthe actor-network theory (ANT) of Latour, Callon, and Law offers a new and radical framework forunderstanding a Farm as a self-organizing, heterogeneous system. Luhmanns theory offers an approach to understand a Farm as a self-organizing system (operatingin meaning) that must produce and reproduce itself through demarcation from the surrounding worldby selection of meaning. The meaning of the system is expressed through the goals, values, andlogic of the Farming processes. This theory is, however, less useful when studying the heterogeneouscharacter of a Farm as a mixture of biology, sociology, technology, and economy.ANT offers an approach to focus on the heterogeneous network of interactions of human and non-human actors, such as knowledge, technology, money, Farmland, animals, plants, etcetera; and howthese interactions depend on both the quality of the actors and the network context of interaction.But the theory is weak when it comes to explaining the self-organizing character of a FarmEnterprise.Using Peirces general semiotics as a platform, the two theories in combination open a new andradical framework for multidisciplinary studies of Farm Enterprises that may serve as a platform forcommunication between the different disciplines and approaches.Keywords: Farm Enterprise, self-organizing systems, actor-network theory, autopoietic socialsystems, semiotics.
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Farm Enterprises as self-organizing systems: A new transdisciplinary framework for studying Farm Enterprises?
International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food, 2003Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:The growing attention to sustainable food production and multifunctional agriculture calls for a multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary research and development perspective on Farming, which is able to grasp the environmental, social, technical, and financial aspects of a Farm and the dynamic relationship between the Farm Enterprises and the surrounding world. Our thesis is that a transdisciplinary approach needs to build on a working ontology that goes beyond the epistemology of each discipline and that is not just pieced together of the ontologies connected to these different epistemologies. Based on a review of three prevailing theoretical frameworks within the field of agro-sociology: The Farming styles approach, the Bawden approach, and Conway’s agroecosystem approach, we argue that these existing theories do not offer such a theoretical framework. The claim of this paper is that a new concept of a Farm Enterprise as a self-organizing social system, which combines ideas from Actor-Network theory (ANT) and Luhmann’s theory of social systems, can serve as a useful ontological platform for understanding a Farm-Enterprise as an entity independent of a scientific observer. In this framework, each Farm is understood as a self-organizing node in a complex of heterogeneous socio-technical networks of food, supply, knowledge, technology, etc. This implies that a Farm has to be understood as the way in which these network relationships are organised by the Farm as a self-organizing social system. Among all the different possible ways in which to interact with the surrounding world, the system has to select a coherent strategy in order to make the Farming processes possible at all. It will be discussed how this framework may add to the understanding of the continuous development of a heterogeneity of Farm strategies and contribute to a more comprehensive view of the fields of regulation and extension.
William Michael Loyd - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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turfgrass sod a viable Farm Enterprise
Journal of Production Agriculture, 1996Co-Authors: John L. Adrian, Patricia A. Duffy, William Michael LoydAbstract:Relatively low prices for many traditional agricultural products and the resulting adverse impacts on income caused many Farmers to search for alternafive uses for resources in the 1980s and early 1990s. This study evaluates the competitive advantage of three warm-season grasses commonly grown in the South and the economic feasibility of including turfgrasssod as an Enterprise on a representative Farm. Production and marketing practices evaluated are based on those common to turf and Farming operations currently in production in south Alabama. Costs and returns estimates for turf were developed based on information from current producers and input suppliers and reflect early and late season establishment and reestablishment for bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.), centipedegrass [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.], and zoysiagrass (Zoysia sp.). Two optimization models were used in the study: (i)P a multiperiod linear programming model dealing with the optimal combination of turf species for selected situations given specified resource constraints and (ii) a mixed integer programming model dealing with crop-mix decisions on a representative southeastern cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Farm having 948 acres of available land. Both models isolate Enterprise combinations that maximize net returns for a 7-yr period given alternative resource constraints. Bermudagrass was found to have a competitive advantage over other turf species for a fairly wide price range around typical prices of $1, $1.22, and $1.85/sq yd for bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass, respectively. Turfgrass-sod was found to compete well with more traditional Farm Enterprises for Farm resources. In fact, the price of bermudagrass could decrease to $0.50/sq yd and effectively compete with traditional Farm Enterprises.
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Turfgrass‐Sod: A Viable Farm Enterprise
Journal of Production Agriculture, 1996Co-Authors: John L. Adrian, Patricia A. Duffy, William Michael LoydAbstract:Relatively low prices for many traditional agricultural products and the resulting adverse impacts on income caused many Farmers to search for alternafive uses for resources in the 1980s and early 1990s. This study evaluates the competitive advantage of three warm-season grasses commonly grown in the South and the economic feasibility of including turfgrasssod as an Enterprise on a representative Farm. Production and marketing practices evaluated are based on those common to turf and Farming operations currently in production in south Alabama. Costs and returns estimates for turf were developed based on information from current producers and input suppliers and reflect early and late season establishment and reestablishment for bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.), centipedegrass [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.], and zoysiagrass (Zoysia sp.). Two optimization models were used in the study: (i)P a multiperiod linear programming model dealing with the optimal combination of turf species for selected situations given specified resource constraints and (ii) a mixed integer programming model dealing with crop-mix decisions on a representative southeastern cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Farm having 948 acres of available land. Both models isolate Enterprise combinations that maximize net returns for a 7-yr period given alternative resource constraints. Bermudagrass was found to have a competitive advantage over other turf species for a fairly wide price range around typical prices of $1, $1.22, and $1.85/sq yd for bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass, respectively. Turfgrass-sod was found to compete well with more traditional Farm Enterprises for Farm resources. In fact, the price of bermudagrass could decrease to $0.50/sq yd and effectively compete with traditional Farm Enterprises.
Egon Noe - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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combining luhmann and actor network theory to see Farm Enterprises as self organizing systems
Cybernetics and Human Knowing, 2006Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:From a rural, sociological point of view no social theories have so far been able to grasp the ontological complexity and special character of a Farm Enterprise as an entity in a really satisfying way. The contention of this paper is that a combination of Luhmann’s theory of social systems and the actor-network theory (ANT) of Latour, Callon, and Law offers a new and radical framework for understanding a Farm as a self-organizing, heterogeneous system. Luhmann’s theory offers an approach to understand a Farm as a self-organizing system (operating in meaning) that must produce and reproduce itself through demarcation from the surrounding world by selection of meaning. The meaning of the system is expressed through the goals, values, and logic of the Farming processes. This theory is, however, less useful when studying the heterogeneous character of a Farm as a mixture of biology, sociology, technology, and economy. ANT offers an approach to focus on the heterogeneous network of interactions of human and non-human actors, such as knowledge, technology, money, Farmland, animals, plants, etc., and how these interactions depend on both the quality of the actors and the network context of interaction. But the theory is weak when it comes to explaining the self-organizing character of a Farm Enterprise. Using Peirce’s general semiotics as a platform, the two theories in combination open a new and radical framework for multidisciplinary studies of Farm Enterprises that may serve as a platform for communication between the different disciplines and approaches.
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Combining Luhmann and Actor-Network Theory to see Farm Enterprises as Self-organizing Systems ∗
Cybernetics and Human Knowing, 2006Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:From a rural, sociological point of view no social theories have so far been able to grasp the ontological complexity and special character of a Farm Enterprise as an entity in a really satisfying way. The contention of this paper is that a combination of Luhmann’s theory of social systems and the actor-network theory (ANT) of Latour, Callon, and Law offers a new and radical framework for understanding a Farm as a self-organizing, heterogeneous system. Luhmann’s theory offers an approach to understand a Farm as a self-organizing system (operating in meaning) that must produce and reproduce itself through demarcation from the surrounding world by selection of meaning. The meaning of the system is expressed through the goals, values, and logic of the Farming processes. This theory is, however, less useful when studying the heterogeneous character of a Farm as a mixture of biology, sociology, technology, and economy. ANT offers an approach to focus on the heterogeneous network of interactions of human and non-human actors, such as knowledge, technology, money, Farmland, animals, plants, etc., and how these interactions depend on both the quality of the actors and the network context of interaction. But the theory is weak when it comes to explaining the self-organizing character of a Farm Enterprise. Using Peirce’s general semiotics as a platform, the two theories in combination open a new and radical framework for multidisciplinary studies of Farm Enterprises that may serve as a platform for communication between the different disciplines and approaches.
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The challenge of management of multidimensional Enterprises analysed from a logo-poietic perspective
2005Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:The challenge to multidimensional Farm management is analysed and discussed from the perspective of the Farm Enterprise, explored within a logo-poietic framework as a self-organising system/network. In conclusion, development of management of multidimensional Farming takes: a reconstruction of the values, ideas, and meaning around which the Farm Enterprises are organised, a new way of increase of nonredundant complexity, shifting from dimension reduction to contextualisation, and a development of interactive relationships that facilitate network building of multidimensional Farming.
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Combining Luhmann and Actor-Network Theory to See Farm Enterprises as
2005Co-Authors: Egon Noe, Hugo Fjelsted AlrøeAbstract:3From a rural, sociological point of view no social theories have so far been able to grasp theontological complexity and special character of a Farm Enterprise as an entity in a really satisfyingway. The contention of this paper is that a combination of Luhmanns theory of social systems andthe actor-network theory (ANT) of Latour, Callon, and Law offers a new and radical framework forunderstanding a Farm as a self-organizing, heterogeneous system. Luhmanns theory offers an approach to understand a Farm as a self-organizing system (operatingin meaning) that must produce and reproduce itself through demarcation from the surrounding worldby selection of meaning. The meaning of the system is expressed through the goals, values, andlogic of the Farming processes. This theory is, however, less useful when studying the heterogeneouscharacter of a Farm as a mixture of biology, sociology, technology, and economy.ANT offers an approach to focus on the heterogeneous network of interactions of human and non-human actors, such as knowledge, technology, money, Farmland, animals, plants, etcetera; and howthese interactions depend on both the quality of the actors and the network context of interaction.But the theory is weak when it comes to explaining the self-organizing character of a FarmEnterprise.Using Peirces general semiotics as a platform, the two theories in combination open a new andradical framework for multidisciplinary studies of Farm Enterprises that may serve as a platform forcommunication between the different disciplines and approaches.Keywords: Farm Enterprise, self-organizing systems, actor-network theory, autopoietic socialsystems, semiotics.
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Farm management, knowledge and multidimensional Farming - some reflections from the perspective of Farm Enterprises as heterogeneous self-organising systems
2003Co-Authors: Egon NoeAbstract:The history of modernisation of agriculture is the story of specialisation into a one-dimensional food production, and in recent decades there has been a strong specialisation into one-commodity Farms. Changing conditions in terms of technical features and market are commonly seen as the major rationale and driving force of this specialisation. However, the growing amount of knowledge and how this knowledge is produced and circulated may be an even stronger factor of explanation of this development and thereby a key to understand the challenges and barriers of the development of multidimensional Farming. Based on empirical investigations and theoretical reflections I will discuss the barriers and potentials for management of multidimensional Farming, from the perspective of the Farm. The discussion will follow two lines of argumentation. 1) A historical look at production and reproduction of knowledge and skills involved in agricultural production: Describing the move from Farming based on local, intrinsic reproduced knowledge and skills, and further to one-dimensional Farming based on scientific acontextual knowledge and manuals, and towards multidimensional Farming based on contextual knowledge and skills. And here, I will argue, agricultural science has played a central role in the development process towards one-dimensional Farming. 2) An analysis and discussion of the complexity of multidimensional Farming from the perspective of a Farm Enterprise, viewed as a heterogeneous self-organising system. The key question is: how can the Farmer/Farm Enterprise mobilise and reproduce the necessary knowledge and skills (e.g. in terms of labour and consultants) into the management process of the multidimensional agriculture without losing the internal coherence and strategy of the Enterprise?
M.a. Sharifi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Development of an appropriate resource information system to support agricultural management at Farm Enterprise level (ARIS).
1992Co-Authors: M.a. SharifiAbstract:This thesis describes development of and experimentation with a prototype of an appropriate resource information system that improves decision making processes in Farm management The system includes a geographic information system with a powerful process model that forms a decision support system for land use planning, monitoring and evaluation at Farm Enterprise level. The land use planning sub-system uses a new concept and supports planning at tactical and operational levels. It consists of a crop growth simulation model that accurately estimates the productivity of each feasible land use, a linear programming model that integrates the physical and socioeconomic information and designs the best suitable plan that maximizes the profit of the system under a given set of constraints (tactical plan), ad a spatial decision model that translates the tactical plan into an actual operational plan. The system illustrates the importance of process models in the integration of information from various disciplines and sources into management decisions, and the application of geographic information systems in support of multiple objective decision problems.
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Development of an appropriate resource information system to support agricultural management at Farm Enterprise level : a prototype design for a decision support system in Moghan Agro-industrial Complex, Iran
1992Co-Authors: M.a. SharifiAbstract:This thesis describes development of and experimentation with a prototype of an appropriate resource information system that improves decision making processes in Farm management The system includes a geographic information system with a powerful process model that forms a decision support system for land use planning, monitoring and evaluation at Farm Enterprise level. The land use planning sub-system uses a new concept and supports planning at tactical and operational levels. It consists of a crop growth simulation model that accurately estimates the productivity of each feasible land use, a linear programming model that integrates the physical and socioeconomic information and designs the best suitable plan that maximizes the profit of the system under a given set of constraints (tactical plan), ad a spatial decision model that translates the tactical plan into an actual operational plan. The system illustrates the importance of process models in the integration of information from various disciplines and sources into management decisions, and the application of geographic information systems in support of multiple objective decision problems.
L Navarrete - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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economics of reduced tillage for cereal and legume production on rainfed Farm Enterprises of different sizes in semiarid conditions
Soil & Tillage Research, 2007Co-Authors: Victor Sanchezgiron, Arturo Serrano, M Suarez, J L Hernanz, L NavarreteAbstract:Abstract Rainfed crop yields are low in semiarid central Spain because precipitation is limited and highly variable. Under these circumstances, producers have to adopt alternative tillage systems that convey a reduction in their unit costs of production to offset the continuous decline in commodity prices. Farmers respond to this situation in essentially two ways: there is a growing interest in adopting reduced tillage systems for seedbed preparation, and a trend to enlarge Enterprises by acquiring more arable land either as ownership or tenancy. The objective of the present study was to assess, in semiarid conditions of central Spain, the economic feasibility of chisel ploughing (CP) and no-tillage (NT) systems compared to mouldboard ploughing (MP) for rainfed winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and forage legume, either vetch ( Vicia sativa L.) or pea ( Pisum sativum L.), production on different Farm sizes ranging from 100 to 1600 ha. A decision support system was used to solve for the least-cost machinery selection for each Farm Enterprise and tillage system considered. No differences were observed in either wheat or forage vetch crop yields averaged across several years, irrespective of the tillage system used. The economic performance was found to depend on the tillage system adopted and Farm size. On average fuel consumption was 23% lower in CP and 62% in NT than in MP. Total variable unitary costs were 3.7 and 5.6% lower in CP and NT than in MP. The cost of herbicides in NT was €7.6 ha −1 year −1 higher than in MP and CP. Average unitary gross margins were 11.9 and 10.8% higher in NT than in MP and CP, respectively. If revenues were considered similar in the three tillage systems, MP would still exhibit the poorest economic results in all Farm sizes, while CP performance would improve NT values in Farm sizes with 200 ha, or less, of arable land. NT was clearly the most profitable system on Farms with 400 ha or more of arable land. The 400 ha Farm Enterprise was observed to mark the breakeven point between the two reduced tillage systems, since up to that size CP was found to provide a better economic performance than NT.
