Research on ecological agricultural systems should not confine itself to their biological and technological aspects, but should also deal with their social and human implications. Moreover, the goal should be to improve ecological agriculture, not just to document the performance of existing systems. Comparative studies of ecological versus conventional production systems are not adequate to achieve this goal. We need a broad research program that deals with fundamental agroecosystem processes, socioeconomic questions, appropriate livestock production systems, food quality, and information transfer among farmers and others. Research strategies on several levels are needed for this purpose, such as pot and field experiments, case studies, and modeling.
