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Operationalizing collective action for crop diversity in-situ management: insights from a decentralized collective design approach

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  • Elsa T. Berthet

    (USC 1339, Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, INRAE
    UMR 7372 Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS & Univ. La Rochelle
    Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UMR SADAPT)

  • Hermance Louis

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, UMR GQE-Le Moulon)

  • Roma Hooge

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, UMR GQE-Le Moulon)

  • Sara Bosshardt

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, UMR GQE-Le Moulon
    INRAE)

  • Lise Malicet-Chebbah

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, UMR GQE-Le Moulon)

  • Gaëlle Frank

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, UMR GQE-Le Moulon
    INRAE, UMR DYNAFOR, INP de Toulouse)

  • Elodie Baritaux

    (ARDEAR Centre Val de Loire)

  • Audrey Barrier-Guillot

    (ARDEAR Centre Val de Loire)

  • Léa Bernard

    (ARDEAR Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

  • Simon Bridonneau

    (Triticum)

  • Hélène Montaz

    (Graines de Noé)

  • Esther Picq

    (AgroBio Périgord)

  • Isabelle Goldringer

    (Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, UMR GQE-Le Moulon)

Abstract

The modernization of agriculture in Northern countries has led to a loss of crop diversity, as well as a loss of knowledge, know-how and rights of farmers regarding on-farm seed breeding. In France, the Réseau Semences Paysannes (RSP) brings together collectives of actors (farmers, bakers, citizens, gardeners) mobilized in a quest to reclaim these aspects. Within the framework of the decentralized participatory breeding program conducted in collaboration with INRAE, farmers have co-constructed knowledge in terms of dynamic management of heterogeneous wheat populations. Yet, as the RSP network grows, these actors face new types of challenges regarding collective action. To address them, we proposed to consider peasant seeds as « common unknowns » rather than « common goods » and we adapted and applied an innovative design approach drawing upon the KCP (Knowledge-Concept-Proposals) method. This approach consisted in implementing, from 2019 to 2021, five decentralized design workshops with local seed breeding collectives. The replication of design workshops in different contexts provided a framework for interaction among RSP members, allowed the sharing of both scientific and experiential knowledge. Noteworthily, it fostered the generation of many proposals for enhancing collective action, and led to the development of operational proposals with a view to implement them in the future. This methodology-oriented paper mainly describes the decentralized design approach implemented, its outputs and outcomes, as well as its interests and limits in the context of crop diversity management. It also analyses how the workshop outputs enriches previous works in the field; in particular how such a participatory design approach leads to produce original operational solutions to respond to challenges identified in the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Elsa T. Berthet & Hermance Louis & Roma Hooge & Sara Bosshardt & Lise Malicet-Chebbah & Gaëlle Frank & Elodie Baritaux & Audrey Barrier-Guillot & Léa Bernard & Simon Bridonneau & Hélène Montaz & Esthe, 2025. "Operationalizing collective action for crop diversity in-situ management: insights from a decentralized collective design approach," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 42(1), pages 485-505, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:42:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s10460-024-10630-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-024-10630-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Armelle Mazé & Aida Calabuig Domenech & Isabelle Goldringer, 2021. "Commoning the seeds: alternative models of collective action and open innovation within French peasant seed groups for recreating local knowledge commons," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(2), pages 541-559, June.
    2. Camille Gevers & Helena F.M.W. van Rijswick & Julia Swart, 2019. "Peasant Seeds in France: Fostering A More Resilient Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-22, May.
    3. Mazé, Armelle & Calabuig Domenech, Aida & Goldringer, Isabelle, 2021. "Restoring cultivated agrobiodiversity: The political ecology of knowledge networks between local peasant seed groups in France," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    4. Elsa T. Berthet & Sara Bosshardt & Lise Malicet-Chebbah & Gaëlle van Frank & Benoit Weil & Blanche Segrestin & Pierre Rivière & Léa Bernard & Elodie Baritaux & Isabelle Goldringer, 2020. "Designing Innovative Management for Cultivated Biodiversity: Lessons from a Pioneering Collaboration between French Farmers, Facilitators and Researchers around Participatory Bread Wheat Breeding," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-19, January.
    5. Elsa E. Berthet & Sara Bosshardt & Lise Malicet-Chebbah & Gaëlle van Frank & Benoit Weil & Blanche Segrestin & Pierre Riviere & Léa Bernard & Elodie Baritaux & Isabelle Goldringer, 2020. "Designing Innovative Management for Cultivated Biodiversity: Lessons from a Pioneering Collaboration between French Farmers, Facilitators and Researchers around Participatory Bread Wheat Breeding," Post-Print hal-02445107, HAL.
    6. Paul Gilbert, 2013. "Deskilling, agrodiversity, and the seed trade: a view from contemporary British allotments," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 101-114, March.
    7. Marine Agogué & Elsa Berthet & Tobias Fredberg & Pascal Le Masson & Blanche Segrestin & Martin Stoetzel & Martin Wiener & Anna Yström, 2017. "Explicating the role of innovation intermediaries in the 'unknown': a contingency approach," Post-Print hal-01481878, HAL.
    8. Irene Pluchinotta & Akin O. Kazakçi & Raffaele Giordano & Alexis Tsoukiàs, 2019. "Design Theory for Generating Alternatives in Public Decision Making Processes," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 341-375, April.
    9. Della Rossa, Pauline & Mottes, Charles & Cattan, Philippe & Le Bail, Marianne, 2022. "A new method to co-design agricultural systems at the territorial scale - Application to reduce herbicide pollution in Martinique," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    10. Gaëlle van Frank & Pierre Rivière & Sophie Pin & Raphaël Baltassat & Jean-François Berthellot & François Caizergues & Christian Dalmasso & Jean-Sébastien Gascuel & Alexandre Hyacinthe & Florent Mercie, 2020. "Genetic Diversity and Stability of Performance of Wheat Population Varieties Developed by Participatory Breeding," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, January.
    11. Elena Tavella & L. Alberto Franco, 2015. "Dynamics of Group Knowledge Production in Facilitated Modelling Workshops: An Exploratory Study," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 451-475, May.
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