ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the coevolutionary character of agroecosystems and the socioenvironmental relations that drive them. A broad range of theoretical work is discussed in the first sections to demonstrate of interest in the natural and social sciences the importance of context, the duality of structure, and the unpredictable nature of change. These sections are followed by a summary of a detailed empirical study of coevolutionary processes experienced by two ethnically distinct but geographically contiguous rural communities in the province of Lampung in southern Sumatra, Indonesia. The chapter concludes with some important lessons for sustainable rural development policy.
