Breaking new ground : anthropology in agricultural research; agricultural anthropology at the International Potato Center

A brief initial section shows that until recently anthropology had been excluded from the mainstream of agricultural research due to its emphasis on theory and tribal ethnology and its institutional location in the university structure. After noting the pioneering efforts of international agricultural research centers, beginning in the early 1960"s, to include the social sciences in their programs, the author describes recent inclusion of anthropologists in the research program of the International Potato Center (CIP). Emphasis is laid on anthropologists" contribution to interdisciplinary research in on-farm potato storage and processing and their role in developing a farmer-back-to-farmer model for generating improved agricultural technologies. A review of key areas in which anthropology can make a unique contribution to agricultural research - e.g., its emphasis on farmers" own perception of the world, its recognition of the importance of the nonverbal expression of culture, and its stress on social organization - leads to a final section outlining future directions for including anthropology in agricultural research. Appendices include an 88-item bibliography (1871-1984) and three agricultural anthropology studies for interdisciplinary team research.