ARS | Publication request: Methodological difficulties of conducting agroecological studies from a statistical perspective

Submitted to: Journal of Sustainable Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: July 16, 2012
Publication Date: February 1, 2013
Citation: Bianconi, A., Dalgaard, T., Manly, B.F., Govone, J.J., Watts, M.J., Habermann, G., Huang, Y., Serapiao, A.B. 2013. Methodological difficulties of conducting agroecological studies from a statistical perspective. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture. 37:485-506.

Interpretive Summary: Conventional statistical methods have been widely used for agroecological data analysis. However, these methods might not provide a complete solution for agroecologists to handle all of the problems concerning crop and animal husbandry, but such methods could well help agroecologists to assess, tackle, and resolve several agroecological issues in a more reliable and accurate manner. In this study scientists from Sao Paulo State University in Brazil and USDA-ARS, Crop Production Systems Research Unit, have conducted collaboratively research to access the importance of statistical tools for alternative agronomic approaches, such as organic farming. The alternative approaches should be used to encourage farmers to apply agroecological techniques.

Technical Abstract: Statistical methods for analysing agroecological data might not be able to help agroecologists to solve all of the current problems concerning crop and animal husbandry, but such methods could well help agroecologists to assess, tackle, and resolve several agroecological issues in a more reliable and accurate manner. Therefore, our goal in this paper is to discuss the importance of statistical tools for alternative agronomic approaches, because alternative approaches, such as organic farming, should not only be promoted by encouraging farmers to deploy agroecological techniques, but also by providing agroecologists with robust analyses based on rigorous statistical procedures.