ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how very small subsistence farm operations reach a low level steady state in Which certain levels of malnutrition become ingrained, at least for some members of the family. The farming systems approach, the study of how farmers in particular environments manage pertinent resources such as soils, water, seeds, livestock, and labor, has become the predominant way in the agricultural disciplines to evaluate farming methods. The chapter presents the approach that developed for research on the Sorghum Millet Collaborative Research Support Project in Southern Honduras. The area of concern is how cultural and economic factors contribute to the farming system that H. Ruthenberg would describe as a "low level steady state", a condition to be avoided. The cropping systems are viable in the sense that production can furnish the basic staples for the traditional diet in sufficient amounts under normal conditions.
