Laura Seppänen's doctoral dissertation in agroecology, using an approach derived from cultural historical activity theory, examines the developmental problems and learning challenges in organic vegetable farming

Seppänen, Laura

English

Organic Eprints

22FORSKNINGSNYTT • Nr 2 • 2004”En olönsam produktionär svår att få lönsam ge-nom att lägga om till eko,men en lönsam gård kanytterligare förbättra lön-samheten genom om-läggning till eko.”I denna undersökning framkom ett an-tal saker vilka kunde vara bra att gran-ska mer i fortsättningen. Specifiering avkostnaderna och uträkning av arbets-mängden kunde vara noggrannare än idenna undersökning för att kunna göraupp ännu bättre gårdsvisa analyser. Medhjälp av en noggrann specifiering avkostnaderna kunde man upptäcka hurkostnadsstrukturen är uppbyggd. Hurarbetsinsatsen är uppbyggd kunde somnämnts vara bra att utreda för att vetavarför den årliga arbetsinsatsen är be-tydligt lägre på ekogårdar. Dessutomborde variationen mellan gårdarna kun-na utnyttjas t.ex. genom att söka efterorsakerna till bra eller dålig lönsamhet.Ari Lajunene-post: ari.lajunen@proagria.fiAri Lajunen är  Agr. Magister och företags-konsult inom ekonomi vid ProAgria NorraKarelen och Ekoprojektet Luomu Itää.Översättning från finska: Bertel Riska■Many RD (= research anddevelopment) -projectsstart by finding out orassuming problems which need to besolved. As the cultivation techniques andmarketing channels in organic vegetablefarming so far may be undeveloped, it isnot easy to define which problems arethe most urgent ones to be tackled within the projects. Besides, each farm andregion is unique, and farmers, advisors,researchers and administrators may havediffering views about the problems. Thespecialized agricultural disciplines oftendo not reveal how different problems infarming are related to each other, norwhich problems are relevant in deve-loping organic vegetable farming.MethodologyA recent doctoral dissertation in agro-ecology, using an approach derived fromcultural historical activity theory, exa-mines the developmental problems andlearning challenges in organic vegetablefarming. Problems and challenges areseen in the practices of farming, andAFHANDLINGERDOKTORS-AVHANDLINGERDOKTORS-AVHANDLINGARDOKTORSRITGER∂IRTOHTORIN-VÄITÖKSETtherefore a careful ethnographic fieldstudy was first done on two organicvegetable farms that had different pro-duction histories (milk and greenhouseproduction). A general history of organicfarming and agriculture in Finland wereexamined in order to put into temporalcontext the practices and problems ofthe farms. Working hypotheses werederived from ethnography and from thehistory. Later, these working hypotheseswere tested withqualitative analyses ofaudio- or videotaped crop rotation plan-ning sessions and organic inspections ofthe farms. The field study and data col-lection was carried out in 1997–1998when Finland recently had entered theEuropean Union.Dimensions of learningIn their generalized form, the maindevelopmental problems found can begrouped as contradictions within andbetween two dimensions: societal inte-gration and use of natural resources (seethe framework in figure 1). The horizon-tal dimension shows the problem ofHow to find and understand developmental problemsand learning challenges in organic vegetable farming?23FORSKNINGSNYTT • Nr 2 • 2004Seppänen, L. 2000. Activity theoretical viewon crop rotation planning in organicvegetable farming. Fourth EuropeanSymposium on European Farming andRural Systems Research and Extension,in Volos, Greece, April 3 to 7, 2000.Proceedings: 283-292.Seppänen, L. 2002. Societal integration inorganic vegetable farming: exploringthe learning challenges. The Journal ofAgricultural Education and Extension, 8(2), 87-100.Seppänen, L. & Koskimies, H. 2002. Farmingacross the years: temporal and spatialdimensions in learning organic farming.IFSA European Symposium on Farmingand Rural Systems Research andExtension: Local Identities andGlobalisation. Florence, Italy, April 8 to11, 2002. Proceedings: 528-537.Engeström, Y., Puonti, A. & Seppänen, L.(2003). Spatial and temporal expansionof the object as a challenge forreorganizing work. In: Nicolini, D.,Gherardi, S. & Yanow, D. (Eds.).Knowing in organizations: A practicebased approach. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe:151-186.Seppänen, L. & Helenius, J.  2004. Doinspection practices in organicagriculture serve organic values? A casestudy from Finland. Agriculture andHuman Values 21 (1):1-13.Seppänen, L. 2002.  Creating tools forfarmers’ learning: an application ofdevelopmental work research.Agricultural Systems 73 (1):129-145.Figure 1. The framework for the study of learning challenges in organic vegetable farming.intensiveness of farming. When ana-lyzing or reflecting upon farming prac-tices, the framework may help in twoways. First, it reveals how in practiceissues of the use of natural resources areintertwined with social relations. Thethree main categories of social relationsaffecting the use of natural resources aremarket, administrative, and ‘organic’relations. Second, it helps see that thesite-specific practices and problems arepart of the general organic farming. Inthis view the choices made on farms arenot outside of how organic agriculturein general develops. It is important thatfor reflection purposes the abstractframework (figure 1) is first made con-crete or translated by practitioners totheir own local circumstances. For in-stance, the critical societal integrationmay imply close farmer cooperation formarketing purposes, which also affectsland use of the farms.The historical analysis suggests that thecontradictions are expansively solvedwhen farming practices move both to-wards societal integration and towardsecological and sustainable use of naturalresources (that is, to the right and up-wards in the framework, figure 1). Inpractice contradictions are solved invarious ways, which implies that deve-lopment does not proceed linearly. Thetwo farms in the study had practices thatin their local cultures and circumstancesare expansive, that is, they move thefarming to the right and/or upwards inthe framework, figure 1. They were forexample the use of catch crops, farmercooperation, a new crop rotation plan,rules for hired workers, and creating so-cial relations with administration.The thesis-part of the dissertation (LauraSeppänen, 2004. Learning challenges inorganic vegetable farming. An activity-theoretical study of on-farm practices.University of Helsinki, Institute for RuralResearch and Training. Publications 1.)can be found athttp://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/maa/sbiol/vk/seppanen/The whole dissertation (in English) withthe six articles listed below can be orde-red from the Institute for Rural Researchand Training, e-mail:julkaisut-mikkeli@helsinki.fi, or byphone: +358-15-2023 342.Contact: Laura Seppänen,University of Helsinki,Institute for Rural Research and TrainingTel: +358 9 191 4779E-mail: laura.seppanen@helsinki.fiSocial integrationEcological andsustainable use ofresourcesIndependency andself-sufficiencyShort-term andintensive useof resources■

How to find and understand development problems and learning challenges in organic vegetable farming?

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