The focus of the book is the evolution of Farming Systems Research (FSR) in Europe. The title with its staccato ‘The New Dynamic’ offers novelty and raises expectations perhaps not wholly realised.

The early FSR researchers in the developing world had a clear and limited goal: to improve the relevance of agricultural research to the circumstances of small farmers – just improve, not perfect! In an interesting exercise in chapter four, the authors conclude that: ‘ . . .in the attempt to capture the wider context of (disciplinary) agricultural research, it seems that we might have overreached and “drowned out” the specificity of FSR’ (p. 92). For some audiences, the aspirations for ever widening boundaries, together with the esoteric language of several contributions, will detract from the book's impact.

Nevertheless, the book is an important milestone in a long ongoing struggle to bring systems thinking and interdisciplinary action to bear on agricultural development. This has to be done through institutions charged with addressing agricultural development, most of which remain imbued with a traditional reductionist culture. Working with this culture is the key to FSR realising its potential and indeed generating a new dynamic. The book gives only limited attention to this priority.

The book deserves attention from agricultural development practitioners, particularly university faculties charged with training future graduates in this field. Its price tag probably limits it to the library market.