Agriculture, sustainable development, environment, farmer knowledge and universities

Abstract

Society still faces serious environmental and socioeconomic problems, which have only been partially offset by the rapid development of knowledge, information technology and technology; however, sustainable development remains a goal. This article aims to establish a debate on the contribution of agriculture to sustainable development and to analyze the role of the university in this process. Different alternatives of agricultural production that can contribute to sustainability are critically reviewed. These include good agricultural practices that seek to preserve the environment, including agroecology and organic agriculture, precision agriculture and some applications of biotechnology. There is currently a need to establish evaluation methods that allow objective identification of progress or setbacks in the quest for sustainability. In the implementation of the concept of sustainable agriculture, universities have an essential role to play as the main source of scientific truth and center of knowledge, without detracting from the legitimacy and value of other epistemic systems such as peasant, traditional or local knowledge.