Complex Traditions: Intersecting Theoretical Frameworks in Agroecological Research

The knowledge of traditional farmers is encyclopedic and ever changing as they continue learning from experiments and mutual interchange in the actualization of agroecology. The modern science of ecology is (or should be) the scientific basis of agroecology and should synergistically inform the ongoing accumulation of knowledge inherent in the practice of small-scale farmers. Traditional agricultural knowledge is deep but narrow, while modern ecological knowledge is broad but shallow. The intersection of traditional knowledge with modern ecology could result in the generation of knowledge that is simultaneously deep and broad.