Systems that reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides are commonly said to do so by greater use of information and ecological understanding. However, this plausible proposition has not received much empirical examination. Different possible roles of information have not been clearly differentiated: in the development of new methods, in the farmer's decision whether to adopt them, and in their continued use. Also, the additional work that might be needed to handle information in reducedchemical systems often is not distinguished from the need for greater management ability. Typical procedures for evaluating the performance of alternative systems do not give enough attention to farmers' management ability and use of information. This is also true for research on conventional systems, even though in such systems information and management are not usually considered to have such a critical role.
