Ghent University. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
Abstract
Although sustainable development is a complex concept, public and private initiatives emerge to support farmers in the sustainable development of their farming practices. In this thesis, we analyzed those Sustainable Farming Initiatives (SFIs) in which farmers engage on a voluntary basis and in which a social learning environment is created for them. However, these SFIs vary considerably in success. Diverse SFI characteristics and the lack of a fixed blueprint on SFI design, make it difficult to define the reasons for this variability in success. Research on SFIs is even further complicated by the inherent and interrelated processes of learning involved with participation in an SFI, i.e., learning on on-farm sustainable development and learning on the development of an SFI. The objective of this thesis was to reveal key characteristics of SFI design, by investigating the dynamical interrelations that can facilitate the learning of participating farmers in an SFI and of the SFI as a whole. To do so, we used four different perspectives to provide a rich picture on the relevant dynamics related to participation and learning in an SFI. These perspectives were inspired by self-determination theory, communities of practice theory, cultural-historical activity theory and Practice theory. The overall results reveal the importance of (i) the farmers’ autonomous motivation to participate, (ii) an environment that meets the farmers’ basic needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness, (iii) the complementary organization of group and individual farmer learning activities, (iv) the historical development of the SFI and the dispositions, practices and expectations of external actors. These findings were translated into practical recommendations for initiators and actors involved in the development of (future) SFIs
