Reconnecting Farmers with Nature through Agroecological Transitions: Interacting Niches and Experimentation and the Role of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems
Cynthia Giagnocavo,
Miguel de Cara-García,
Mónica González,
Melchor Juan,
José Ignacio Marín-Guirao,
Sepide Mehrabi,
Estefanía Rodríguez,
Jan van der Blom,
Eduardo Crisol-Martínez
Affiliations
Cynthia Giagnocavo
Cátedra COEXPHAL-UAL on Horticulture, Cooperative Studies and Sustainable Development, Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería, Carretera Sacramento s/n, 04120 La Cañada, Almeria, Spain
Miguel de Cara-García
Department of Sustainable Crop Protection, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research Training (IFAPA) La Mojonera, Camino San Nicolás, 1, 04745 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain
Mónica González
Experimental Station of Foundation Cajamar, 04710 Las Palmerillas, Almeria, Spain
Melchor Juan
Laboratory of Phytopathology, LABCOLOR-COEXPHAL (Laboratory of Association of Vegetable and Fruit Growers of Almeria), C\Esteban Murillo, 3, 04746 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain
José Ignacio Marín-Guirao
Department of Sustainable Crop Protection, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research Training (IFAPA) La Mojonera, Camino San Nicolás, 1, 04745 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain
Sepide Mehrabi
Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería, Carretera Sacramento s/n, 04120 La Cañada, Almeria, Spain
Estefanía Rodríguez
Department of Sustainable Crop Protection, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research Training (IFAPA) La Mojonera, Camino San Nicolás, 1, 04745 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain
Jan van der Blom
Department of Crop Production Techniques, COEXPHAL (Association of Vegetable and Fruit Growers of Almeria), C\Esteban Murillo, 3, 04746 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain
Eduardo Crisol-Martínez
Department of Crop Production Techniques, COEXPHAL (Association of Vegetable and Fruit Growers of Almeria), C\Esteban Murillo, 3, 04746 La Mojonera, Almeria, Spain
Sustainability transitions in agriculture are explored through an analysis of niche initiatives within a common production system, relying on sustainable transitions, multi-level perspectives, and agroecological frameworks, and involving multi-actor, agricultural knowledge, and innovation systems (AKIS). The article focuses on how experimental niches and sustainable activities affect farmers’ relationships with nature, and the reconceptualisation of the production system in which they operate, particularly where this system is embedded in less sustainable conventional or dominant regimes and landscapes. The need for fundamental changes, in the way that humans interact with nature, is widely argued for in order to achieve sustainable development, and farmers occupy a central role through participation in complex networks of agri-food systems. They have also found themselves disconnected from nature through conventional agri-industrial production practices. Four niches (biological control, ecological restoration, soil health, and ecological pond management) within the greenhouse sector of Almeria (SE Spain) are explored in a case study. Our results indicate that a farmer’s interaction with nature is functional, but through agroecological practices, a deeper understanding of the ecosystems in which greenhouse landscapes are embedded may be gained. As they become more connected to nature and benefit from ecosystem services, they can transition to more sustainable agricultural systems.
