A Physiocratic Systems Framework for Open Source Agricultural Research and Development
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University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2015 A PHYSIOCRATIC SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK FOR OPEN SOURCE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Dorn Cox University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Cox, Dorn, "A PHYSIOCRATIC SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK FOR OPEN SOURCE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT" (2015). Doctoral Dissertations. 2177. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2177 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A PHYSIOCRATIC SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK FOR OPEN SOURCE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BY Dorn A.W. Cox B.S. Cornell University, 1997 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Natural Resources and Environmental Studies May, 2015 This dissertation has been examined and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in NaturalDissertation Resources and Director Earth Systems Science by: Robert Eckert Professor ofFaculty Natural Resources Richard England Professor, Economics & Natural Resources Becky Sideman Extension Professor/Specialist, Sustainable Horticulture Production Brandon Smith NH State Agronomist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service Assistant Professor, Agroecology Richard Smith Date: May 16, 2015 Original approval signatures are on file with the University of New Hampshire Graduate School. Dedications This dissertation is dedicated to Bill Coperthwaite (1930-2013) whose insatiably open mind and belief in the power of sharing knowledge managed to both draw from history and be far ahead of its time. He was a true precursor to the current open source movement, and a source of deep personal inspiration and support. With deep gratitude and love to my wife, Sarah, my sons, Andreas and Miles, and to the rest of my family for their inspiration, support and encouragement. iii Acknowledgements Special appreciation for my doctoral committee members who helped me complete this dissertation. They are Doctors Bob Eckert (Chair), Richard Smith, Richard England, Becky Sideman, and Brandon Smith. I also thank the many others who provided help, and inspiration, including but not limited to: Bianca Moebius-Clune and the Cornell Soil Health Lab GreenStart community and board members The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science The Farm Hack Community UNH Agroecology Lab Food Solutions New England and the John Merck and Kendall foundations NESAWG and the Food Knowledge Ecosystem Project Funding and other acknowledgements NE SARE Farm Grower Grants (sunflower legume under-sowing organic no-till hairy vetch, warm season grass trials, undercut high residue cultivating). NH NRCS – CIG Grants (biodiesel and oil seed pressing, organic no-till, low-till covercrops, soil health management planning, Silvopasture development) USDA SCBG – Soil Health management planning NH Charitable Foundation grants – matching funds and outreach and open source network development Putnam Family Foundation – for support of soil health, biodiesel, oilseed, and open source documentation UNH Cooperative Extension Graduate Assistantship 2008-2009- On-Farm Biodiesel Production and the Establishment of the New England Energy Consortium New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station – land, equipment and technical support New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts and Moose Plate Grants (wood ash spreader, no-till drill, Aerway aerator, and yeoman’s plow) iv Table of Contents DEDICATIONS............................................................................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................................................... IV FUNDING AND OTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................................................... IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................................................V ........................................................................................................................................................ VII ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................................... X LIST OF FIGURES INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................................1 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY..........................................................................................................................................3 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ...........................................................................................................................................5 Agrarianism and Agriculture as a Social Science..................................................................................................6 Systems Dynamics and Adaptive Management...................................................................................................9 Quantification of Environmental Services ..........................................................................................................11 Purpose of the Study ..........................................................................................................................................12 SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................................................13 SECTION I: A PHYSIOCRATIC SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK CHAPTER 1: SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION: HISTORIC ROOTS OF AGRARIANISM AND POLITICAL ECONOMY ..........................................................14 QUANTIFICATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.......................................................................................................................15 TRANSFORMATIVE OBSERVATION TECHNOLOGY.................................................................................................................17 SOCIAL DYNAMICS OF INNOVATION .................................................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 2: FRAMING AGRARIANISM AND POLITICAL ECONOMY ...................................................................... 20 MIRABEAU’S TREE: A SYSTEMS METAPHOR AND SOCIAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................20 NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK............................................................................................26 CHAPTER 3: QUANTIFYING HUMAN INTERACTION WITH THE BIOSPHERE .......................................................... 27 BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND AGRICULTURE: QUANTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT MEASUREMENT REGIME .................27 VALIDATION OF LOW COST OBSERVATION TECHNOLOGY .....................................................................................................37 ADAPTIVE CYCLE AND OPEN SOURCE CULTURE..................................................................................................................40 AGILE DEVELOPMENT AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT IN RESEARCH .......................................................................................45 MEASURING THE COMMONS TO REDUCE EXTERNALITIES .....................................................................................................49 CULTURAL VALUES AND INTERNALIZATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES......................................................................................55 SOIL HEALTH, RESILIENCE, AND OPTIMISM .......................................................................................................................57 SOIL HEALTH MEASUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT.............................................................................................................62 CHAPTER 4: TECHNOLOGY, OPEN SOURCE CULTURE, AND PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH ....................................... 65 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................65 BEYOND SMARTPHONES AND NETWORKED REMOTE SENSING ..............................................................................................68 MOORE'S LAW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SENSOR NETWORKS ................................................................................................72 OPEN SOURCE DEVELOPMENT TRENDS ............................................................................................................................77 CARBON + SILICON + OPEN SOURCE = TOOLS FOR RESILIENT AGRICULTURE ..........................................................................79 CHAPTER 5: FRAMEWORK