{"title":"‘Back to nature’ or ‘full throttle with science and technology’ for sustainable agriculture?","authors":"Gerben Straatsma","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07423-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Introduction</h3><p>The transformation of agriculture is essential to addressing global sustainability challenges. Any transformation first requires a perspective. Our view of agriculture is linked to our view of naturalness, artificiality, and unnaturalness. A contrast exists between those who prioritize naturalness as a guiding principle and those who advocate for science and technology. This study examines the philosophical and psychological foundations of these perspectives to help scientifically trained readers navigate the public discourse on sustainable agriculture.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Naturalness</h3><p>The emphasis on naturalness has several roots. Naturalness is associated with purity, authenticity, and moral virtue, shaping preferences in agriculture, environmental policies, and medicine. Philosophical and psychological work suggests the role of intuitive reasoning in shaping these constructs, which can contribute to cognitive biases that influence perceptions of sustainability.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Science and Technology</h3><p>A science-driven approach to sustainability emphasizes rational analysis, technological innovation, and evidence-based decision-making. The scientific community often underestimates how normative values and biases shape public acceptance of technological solutions, which may be perceived as unnatural.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Two Cases</h3><p>The contrast between naturalness and unnaturalness is illustrated through the approaches of organic agriculture and sustainable intensification. Organic agriculture is rooted in commitments to naturalness, but faces challenges such as lower yields. Sustainable intensification emphasizes science and artificial, technological solutions but encounters scepticism in shaping agriculture.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Final remark</h3><p>Bridging a philosophical and psychological contrast is essential for formulating a comprehensive sustainability strategy. An inclusive discourse, informed by awareness of perspectives, can help reconcile competing visions for the future of agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Plant and Soil","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07423-5","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRONOMY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction
The transformation of agriculture is essential to addressing global sustainability challenges. Any transformation first requires a perspective. Our view of agriculture is linked to our view of naturalness, artificiality, and unnaturalness. A contrast exists between those who prioritize naturalness as a guiding principle and those who advocate for science and technology. This study examines the philosophical and psychological foundations of these perspectives to help scientifically trained readers navigate the public discourse on sustainable agriculture.
Naturalness
The emphasis on naturalness has several roots. Naturalness is associated with purity, authenticity, and moral virtue, shaping preferences in agriculture, environmental policies, and medicine. Philosophical and psychological work suggests the role of intuitive reasoning in shaping these constructs, which can contribute to cognitive biases that influence perceptions of sustainability.
Science and Technology
A science-driven approach to sustainability emphasizes rational analysis, technological innovation, and evidence-based decision-making. The scientific community often underestimates how normative values and biases shape public acceptance of technological solutions, which may be perceived as unnatural.
Two Cases
The contrast between naturalness and unnaturalness is illustrated through the approaches of organic agriculture and sustainable intensification. Organic agriculture is rooted in commitments to naturalness, but faces challenges such as lower yields. Sustainable intensification emphasizes science and artificial, technological solutions but encounters scepticism in shaping agriculture.
Final remark
Bridging a philosophical and psychological contrast is essential for formulating a comprehensive sustainability strategy. An inclusive discourse, informed by awareness of perspectives, can help reconcile competing visions for the future of agriculture.
期刊介绍：
Plant and Soil publishes original papers and review articles exploring the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and that enhance our mechanistic understanding of plant-soil interactions. We focus on the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and seek those manuscripts with a strong mechanistic component which develop and test hypotheses aimed at understanding underlying mechanisms of plant-soil interactions. Manuscripts can include both fundamental and applied aspects of mineral nutrition, plant water relations, symbiotic and pathogenic plant-microbe interactions, root anatomy and morphology, soil biology, ecology, agrochemistry and agrophysics, as long as they are hypothesis-driven and enhance our mechanistic understanding. Articles including a major molecular or modelling component also fall within the scope of the journal. All contributions appear in the English language, with consistent spelling, using either American or British English.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
