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Participatory approaches for sustainable agriculture: A contradiction in terms?

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  • Murray Bruges
  • Willie Smith

Abstract

This paper examines the adoption and application of a participatory approach to the transfer of scientific research to farmers with the objective of supporting government policies for sustainable agriculture. Detailed interviews with scientists and farmers in two case studies in New Zealand are used to identify the potential and constraints of such an approach. One case study involves Māori growers wishing to develop organic vegetable production; the other involves commercial wheat farmers who want to improve their profitability and face major problems of groundwater nutrification. The paper concludes that while both case studies are characterized as successful by those involved, there is an inherent creative tension between the adoption of a participatory approach and its use to advance public policy goals. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2008

Suggested Citation

  • Murray Bruges & Willie Smith, 2008. "Participatory approaches for sustainable agriculture: A contradiction in terms?," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 25(1), pages 13-23, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:25:y:2008:i:1:p:13-23
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-007-9058-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jasper Eshuis & Marian Stuiver, 2005. "Learning in context through conflict and alignment: Farmers and scientists in search of sustainable agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 22(2), pages 137-148, June.
    2. Roger Wilkinson & John Cary, 2002. "Sustainability as an evolutionary process," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(4), pages 381-391.
    3. Jeffery Bentley, 1994. "Facts, fantasies, and failures of farmer participatory research," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 11(2), pages 140-150, March.
    4. Pretty, Jules N., 1995. "Participatory learning for sustainable agriculture," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(8), pages 1247-1263, August.
    5. John F. Forester, 1999. "The Deliberative Practitioner: Encouraging Participatory Planning Processes," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262561220, December.
    6. Nigel Curry & Michael Winter, 2000. "EUROPEAN BRIEFING: The Transition to Environmental Agriculture in Europe: Learning Processes and Knowledge Networks," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 107-121, February.
    7. Chambers, Robert, 1994. "The origins and practice of participatory rural appraisal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 22(7), pages 953-969, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Corrado Ciaccia & Marta Di Pierro & Elena Testani & Giancarlo Roccuzzo & Marcello Cutuli & Danilo Ceccarelli, 2019. "Participatory Research towards Food System Redesign: Italian Case Study and Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Andreas Neef & Dieter Neubert, 2011. "Stakeholder participation in agricultural research projects: a conceptual framework for reflection and decision-making," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 28(2), pages 179-194, June.
    3. Marleen Kerkhof & Annemarie Groot & Marien Borgstein & Leontien Bos-Gorter, 2010. "Moving beyond the numbers: a participatory evaluation of sustainability in Dutch agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 27(3), pages 307-319, September.
    4. Emma Jakku & Peter Thorburn, 2009. "A Conceptual Framework for Guiding the Participatory Development of Agricultural Decision Support Systems," Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion (SEED) Working Paper Series 2009-12, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.
    5. Colleen M. Eidt & Laxmi P. Pant & Gordon M. Hickey, 2020. "Platform, Participation, and Power: How Dominant and Minority Stakeholders Shape Agricultural Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-21, January.
    6. Orlando, Francesca & Alali, Sumer & Vaglia, Valentina & Pagliarino, Elena & Bacenetti, Jacopo & Bocchi, Stefano & Bocchi, Stefano, 2020. "Participatory approach for developing knowledge on organic rice farming: Management strategies and productive performance," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    7. Harvey James & Iddisah Sulemana, 2014. "Case studies on smallholder farmer voice: an introduction to a special symposium," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(4), pages 637-641, December.

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