THE RIDDLE OF KNOWLEDGE FORMS AND THE ‘PARADOX' OF PARTICIPATION

International audienceNowadays, the inadequacy of linear and mechanistic thinking (positivism/reductionism) in understanding both the source and the solutions of the many unwanted and undesirable biophysical and sociocultural impacts of modern agriculture, underlying that agriculture in its present (dominantly industrial) form is not sustainable, gives rise to multiple alternative proposals. The need to solve increasingly complex problems with a view to sustainability reinforces various ‘cross-disciplinary' forms of learning and problem solving, ‘integrating' perspectives and insights; cooperation by diverse academic experts and practitioners is called for. The current paper aims at addressing the dynamics of different forms of knowledge in the construction of knowledge, especially for sustainable (rural) development. In particular, the objective is to discuss the tentative contribution of Critical Realism (CR) in the understanding of the interfaces between different forms of knowledge (and their bearers/actors) in both theoretical and practical terms. CR with its realist, differentiated and stratified ontology claims, contra positivism, that science should aim at exploring the mechanisms which contribute to the generation of what is experienced. Therefore, it allows for new insights concerning ‘cross-disciplinary' research and development intervention. Thus, the implications of CR, especially on the problem of ‘transdisciplinarity' as well as on problems pertaining ‘participatory processes', are addressed

Facilitating Agricultural Innovation Systems: a critical realist approach

The turn of agrarian sciences and agricultural extension from reductionist and transfer of technology, respectively, towards systemic approaches has transformed agricultural/rural development thinking in the last decades. Nevertheless, the emergence of Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) has to confront a number of gaps among which the expert – lay knowledge gap is of major importance. This paper aims at exploring such a gap as well as obstacles to participatory development from a critical realist point of view. Critical realism (CR) with its realist, differentiated and stratified ontology aims at interpreting the world in order to ultimately bring about transformation. CR allows for new insights on the nature of knowledge as well as on development research and practice. It thus provides useful guidelines concerning the emerging ‘intermediation’ functions within AIS

Generating space for innovations in agriculture: the AgriSpin project

Good initiatives for sustainable innovations are everywhere. The biotope selects. How can a conducive biotope be created where such initiatives will flourish and develop into successful innovations? Where can initiators easily find partners and funds to make their dreams come true? What can innovation support agencies do concretely to make a difference? These are the central questions in the European Union Horizon 2020 project AgriSpin. Here, we share our first experiences from AgriSpin, in which 15 partner organisations in 12 European regions are learning from and with each other about successful approaches to innovation brokering. Firstly, we summarise some bottlenecks that are frequently mentioned in the literature. Then the design of the project is described. A key element is the series of ‘cross-visits’ hosted by the partners. At the time of writing, all cross-visits have been made, and the project has entered a digestion period in which we try to make sense of what has been observed. The next step is to design action plans for each partner organisation and the key actors in the regions where they operate. So, this paper reports work in progress. Nevertheless, some interesting ‘pearls’ and ‘puzzles’ can already be reported

Exploring the adoption of innovative spraying equipment

Postprint (published version

Factors pertaining the gap between research and practice: The case of innovative spraying equipment

This work in progress aims at identifying groups of farmers with similar characteristics that relate to farmers’ perceptions and adoption of innovatory spraying equipment.Postprint (published version

INNOSETA regional workshops: analysis of the needs for better dissemination of spraying innovations in vineyards and orchards

In the framework of the H2020 INNOSETA thematic network focused on agricultural spraying, 17 workshops were organised across Europe on issues related to the appropriation of spraying innovations by farmers. The objective of these workshops, which gathered a total of 850 people, was to foster exchanges between the various stakeholders (sprayer manufacturers, PPP companies, authorities, advisors, farmers’ representatives, researchers, etc.) in a multi-actor approach; to address issues related to the dissemination of innovation; and to identify ways to improve farmers’ uptake. Each workshop was organised as a technical day combining demonstrations of innovations with interactive discussions. The outcomes of the discussions highlighted in all countries are that there is still a lot to be donePostprint (published version

Structural aspects of on-farm demonstrations: key considerations in the planning and design process

Research on the adoption and diffusion of innovations has consistently confirmed that one of farmers’ most commonly cited sources of information and ideas is other farmers. Demonstrations concern the practical exhibition (and explanation) of how something works and have for long been one of the most important extension techniques. On-farm demonstrations facilitate an effective learning situation for farmers to “See the crops themselves”, “interact with the scientists and extension workers on the field”, and “get doubts clarified themselves”. In the literature concerning on-farm demonstrations, a wide range of structural characteristics are described. These differ according to the actors/networks involved and their roles, the audience/ attendees, the network structure and its characteristics, resources, finances and incentives, and characteristics related to the farm (geographic location, accessibility, etc.). The current paper will elaborate on such structural characteristics and will thus contribute to building a provisional model of the linkages between rationale (goals, objectives, topics), structural factors, functions and results (output, outcomes and impact)

A conceptual framework to investigate the role of peer learning processes at on-farm demonstrations in the light of sustainable agriculture

Peer-to-peer approaches seem promising in enhancing sustainable agricultural systems. However, the kind of learning processes that underlie peer learning approaches have not been sufficiently studied in farmer-to-farmer settings. To answer the question how peer learning processes can foster farmer learning for sustainable agriculture, we will develop empirical research tools that can give us more insight into these processes as currently occurring in on-farm demonstration settings. In this explorative paper, we explore the common ground on how to design an integrative framework of effective farmer-to-farmer learning processes at on-farm demonstrations in the light of sustainable agriculture. During the in-depth literature search, we focussed on three main subfields in scientific literature addressing effective learning processes: peer assisted learning (PAL) process model, adult learning theory and education for sustainable development (ESD). We link effective learning processes supported by these three subfields with findings from previous research on farmer-to-farmer practices. The comparison of the three subfields led to a conceptual framework with core interacting effective learning processes defined as engagement, interactive knowledge creation and initiated communication, fostering cognitive conflict and critical reflection

Managing Diversity : The Challenges of Inter-University Cooperation in Sustainability Education

One of the main challenges in sustainability discourse is its multifaceted nature often requiring that many different disciplines must cooperate in order to achieve progress. This issue also concerns sustainability education. In the article, we highlighted the experiences from the international cooperation of university teachers and researchers with highly diverse professional backgrounds who worked together on developing educational materials for university students in sustainability-oriented courses. The study is based on qualitative, participatory evaluation research, applying two rounds of open-ended questionnaires distributed to the same respondents (n = 18). For the analysis, we used the open-coding procedure for identifying the main categories. The results show some of the opportunities and barriers that emerged in the process of this cooperation. In particular, we discuss the issues related to the high heterogeneity of the group, such as the clashes of the different perspectives on the topics covered, group dynamics issues, trust, facilitation challenges, and also opportunities that such heterogeneity offers. We highlight the importance of open reflectivity in sustainability-oriented educational projects as the key to their successful implementation. Finally, we believe that results of this participatory study are useful in designing new projects aiming at further improvement of academic education in sustainability and sustainable development

How to Strengthen Innovation Support Services in Agriculture with Regard to Multi-Stakeholder Approaches

peer-reviewedThe new agricultural EU policy aims at strengthening actors’ capacities for innovation by taking into account the complexity of innovation processes. This paper aims to characterise the key innovation support services (ISS) which are needed to support actors to innovate. In the EU AgriSpin project, we analysed 57 case studies describing innovation processes. We used a common grid to characterize ISS. Our results show that ISS depends on the phase of the innovation. During the initial phases, there is a need for innovative support services (e.g. network building, support to innovator). In the latter phases, there is a need for more conventional services (e.g. training, credit) both at farm level, value chain level and territory level. Brokering functions and new services are key in supporting actors to innovate by facilitating interactions for co-production of knowledge, co-design of technologies and, identification of new institutional arrangements