Tales of Tropical Plant Diseases in an Age of Climate Change: A View of Sustainability Based on Complexity Science

This book offers a global perspective on major tropical crops, exploring their role in food production and the threats plant diseases pose to their productivity. Drawing from the author’s diverse experiences as a plant pathologist across Asia, Europe, the US, and Latin America, as well as his work as an independent research consultant on complexity science, the book offers both professional insights and personal reflections.

Narratives have long been a powerful tool for human communication, often more knowledge-dense than any other form of exchange. The use of stories in this book serves three main purposes. First, complexity theory suggests that reflecting on others’ stories can inspire scientists to form fresh perspectives and unique insights based on their own knowledge and experiences. This process may even help people ＂know what they didn’t know they knew,＂ a concept popular in knowledge management circles. Complexity practice takes this further by helping scientists uncover what they ＂didn’t know they didn’t know＂-a crucial element for advancing research rather than simply investigation.

Second, today’s students often report learning more from the personal experiences of their teachers than from mere facts. Traditional, encyclopedic texts leave little room for the self-learning practices that are central to modern education. Stories, by contrast, are an effective way of conveying experiential or tacit knowledge, which is often more valuable in real-world contexts.

Additionally, the use of narratives and visuals makes phytopathology more accessible for broader audience interested in sustainability, biodiversity, food security, biosecurity, regenerative agriculture, resilience, climate change, new technologies, and public policy.

The final chapter ties the book together by focusing on sustainability and ecosystem services for the future. It also provides an extensively researched library of references on the management of tropical crop diseases, offering quick access to essential facts in the appendices.

Dr Khoon Chin holds a BSc Hons degree in Agricultural Botany (Reading University, UK) and a PhD in Plant Pathology and Population Genetics (Cambridge, UK), as well as an MSc of USM, Malaysia. He has had a lifelong global career as a research and teaching phytopathologist, working for national and international institutions and for industry, in both the tropics and temperate regions. He was formerly a Bye-Fellow of Downing College UK, Visiting Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute ROP, lecturer at the Bern Fachhochschule for Agriculture (HAFL, CH), and an editor of Plant Pathology (Blackwells) Journal of the British Society of Plant Pathology. He has written well over a hundred publications in refereed journals and lectured widely as an invited/keynote speaker in international and national symposia in EU, USA, Asia and Latin America. He is also accredited to the Cynefin Center for research on complexity science and was for 8 years a consultant for complexity areas of business management for industry.