Diversity - Essential quality for agronomy

Authors: Evett, Steven - Steve

Submitted to: CSA News
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2018
Publication Date: 3/1/2018
Citation: Evett, S.R. 2018. Diversity - Essential quality for agronomy. CSA News. 63(3):16-17. https://doi.org/10.2134/csa2018.63.0301.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/csa2018.63.0301

Interpretive Summary: Diversity is an essential quality for success in agronomy because agronomy touches everyone, everywhere in some way, and food production is crucial for every society around the world. Consider, for example, our membership, which is diverse in almost every way imaginable. This diversity brings different perspectives, background knowledge, training, life experiences and expertise to agronomic problem solving that are as essential for success as agronomic problems are diverse and complex. Almost anywhere in the world one can find an ASA member solving problems and expanding agronomic knowledge through research and development, often teaming with a diversity of colleagues – scientific, technical and agricultural, including farmers. The diversity of agronomists is key to success for another reason – it allows us to see and imagine other ways of approaching problems and solving them, and even to reimagine problems in new and more solvable forms. Experiences growing up in California, China, Idaho, Iowa, India, the Middle East or Europe are different and the ways people learn to see and approach problems are different in ways that enrich our common enterprise.

Technical Abstract: Diversity is an essential quality for success in agronomy because agronomy touches everyone, everywhere in some way, and food production is crucial for every society around the world. Consider, for example, our membership, which is diverse in almost every way imaginable. This diversity brings different perspectives, background knowledge, training, life experiences and expertise to agronomic problem solving that are as essential for success as agronomic problems are diverse and complex. Almost anywhere in the world one can find an ASA member solving problems and expanding agronomic knowledge through research and development, often teaming with a diversity of colleagues – scientific, technical and agricultural, including farmers. The diversity of agronomists is key to success for another reason – it allows us to see and imagine other ways of approaching problems and solving them, and even to reimagine problems in new and more solvable forms. Experiences growing up in California, China, Idaho, Iowa, India, the Middle East or Europe are different and the ways people learn to see and approach problems are different in ways that enrich our common enterprise.