Summary of Points Made to the Workshop on Ecoregional Approaches to International Research for Sustainable Agriculture, Puerto Rico, May 29th 1993

These remarks, made to a workshop on ecoregional approaches to international research for sustainable agriculture in Puerto Rico, argue three main points. (i) That wherever an ecoregional approach is pursued, carefully sceptical agroecological historical analysis should precede the selection of areas defined as degraded. (ii) That an ecoregional approach is liable to have high opportunity costs. (iii) That an ecoregional approach is liable to distract from two key global gaps: approaches and methods for farmers to conduct their own farming systems analysis; and approaches and methods to enable scientists to change their behaviour. These three points are all expanded upon. There is a short bibliography on agriculture and natural resources related PRA and on scientists' behaviour.