At the Southern American Association for Agricultural Education S-AAAE conference, Dr. Alexa Lamm delivered a research presentation from a study conducted with Haoming Fan and Dr. Kevan Lamm titled Literature Review on the Development of Systems Thinking in Agriculture. The study was part of the STEPS: Systems Thinking in Higher Education project funded by a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant led by Dr. Kevan Lamm. The research provided a structured review of how systems thinking has been conceptualized and applied within agricultural education and practice over time.
Using guided scoping review methods, the research synthesized peer-reviewed literature published since 1972 to identify dominant systems thinking methodologies used in agricultural contexts. The findings highlighted two broad paradigms. These are technical systems models, which emphasize quantification, prediction, and structured causality, and conceptual systems models, which focus on mental models, stakeholder perspectives, and learning in complex, ill-defined problems. The study highlights that while technical models offer clarity and decision support, conceptual approaches are better suited to addressing the social complexity and human dimensions inherent in agricultural systems.
Overall, the review identified key gaps in how systems thinking is integrated into agricultural education and provided guidance for future research and curriculum development, emphasizing the need to better align formal systems models with human perception, experience, and real-world agricultural decision-making.
