Why study traditional agriculture?

It is difficult to separate the study of agricultural systems from the study of the cultures that nurture them. For this reason, this paper deals with both the complexity of the production systems as well as with the sophistication of the knowledge of the people that manage them. This paper also attempts to integrate the arguments advanced by both social scientists and biologists, in order to justify the need to continue studying traditional agroecosystems. It is here argued that rescue of this knowledge must occur rapidly, not only because it is being irreversibly lost, but also because it is crucial for the advancement of agricultural ecology.