Editorial Introduction to Volume II 9between farmers and agricultural professionals constrains the fit between the sup-
ply of new technologies and the pressing needs of the rural poor. Hitherto, most
attention has been paid to improvement of development assistance and agricul-
tural extension, rather than assessing the development potential of marginal com-
munities themselves. These are dynamic and diverse, with great potential for
innovation in both technologies and self-organization. This paper explores the
implications of farmer innovation and local self-organization for government and
agricultural professionals. The focus is on rural communities of north Shaanxi in
China and the phenomenon of ‘farmer innovation circles’. These are informal
social systems used by the rural poor for their own technology development and
cooperation. The paper explains the theoretical background and analytical frame-
work, then summarizes the features of Zhidan County and methodology used.
The distribution of household innovative capacity is then linked to wider innova-
tion circles and household incomes. Overall, the paper shows how innovative
capacity is accumulated, and concludes with reflections on the development and
policy implications.
Part 4: Ecological Restoration and Design
In the first article of this section, David Orr sets out the components and princi-
ples of ecological design and education. Ecological designers know one big thing
- everything is hitched to everything else. This suggests a need for a blending of
nature with human-crafted space, a bringing together of arts, crafts, science and
architecture. But this is easy to say, and hard to achieve. We will need to spend
more time thinking about how we see the world, and how we learn from it. A
number of key principles are set out for a new type of design that recalibrates edu-
cation with ecology. Nature is not something to be mastered, but a potential tutor
and mentor for human actions. But ecological design is deeper than mimicry. It
should encourage us to ask what will nature permit us to do? Another key principle
is that humans are not infinitely plastic. There are biological and evolutionary
constraints that shape our interactions with the world. All design is, of course,
inherently political, as it is about both the provision of goods and services, but also
the distribution of risks, costs and benefits. Ecological design implies robust eco-
nomics, an honest assessment of human capabilities, a capacity to understand the
lessons of history and past civilizations, and above all offers opportunities of heal-
ing. Designers are storytellers that aim to speak to the human spirit, and this is
where education must mimic, and tell better stories about the world.
In the second article, Geoff Gurr et al indicate that ecological restoration
methods must also be technically achievable and socially acceptable and spread
over a range of locations. Two key aspects of agricultural biodiversity are analysed:
the ways in which agricultural biodiversity may be increased to favour pest man-
agement, and the existence of a hierarchy of the types of benefits of increased