Agroecology to Promote Just Sustainability Transitions: : Analysis of a Civil Society Network in the Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda
(2017) In Sustainability 9(8).- Abstract
- Agroecology is gaining ground within the debate on how to address systemic social and environmental problems in agriculture. However, it remains marginalized in agricultural research and development plans around the world. This paper analyzes agroecology as a socio-technical niche in Uganda, where its emergence in part can be seen as an unintended consequence of neoliberalist development. The case studied is a civil society network that links farmer groups and non-governmental organizations across different levels. Through the analytical lens of regime dimensions, we find that agroecology is practiced as a smallholder-centric approach that champions collective action, locally appropriate technologies, participatory methods in research and... (More)
- Agroecology is gaining ground within the debate on how to address systemic social and environmental problems in agriculture. However, it remains marginalized in agricultural research and development plans around the world. This paper analyzes agroecology as a socio-technical niche in Uganda, where its emergence in part can be seen as an unintended consequence of neoliberalist development. The case studied is a civil society network that links farmer groups and non-governmental organizations across different levels. Through the analytical lens of regime dimensions, we find that agroecology is practiced as a smallholder-centric approach that champions collective action, locally appropriate technologies, participatory methods in research and extension, and calls for more active state guidance of agricultural change along specific principles. However, two major concerns are raised; the niche converges with the dominant discourse around commercialization, and policy advocacy is hampered by the apolitical history of NGOs and an increasingly tense political climate. These two areas are critical for agroecology to contribute to just sustainability transitions, and civil society organizations with strong links to smallholder farmers need to be included in the growing scholarly debate both to inform it and to receive guidance from it. Transition frameworks can help facilitate the development of viable institutional designs and explicitly transformative strategies, but we also point towards the need for engagement with theories on civil society collective action and political mobilization. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/435bcbe2-df01-48b1-a9d2-136ecc5b94e6
- author
- Isgren, Ellinor LU and Ness, Barry LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2017-08-02
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- agroecology; just transitions; agricultural development; Uganda; civil society; transformative potential
- in
- Sustainability
- volume
- 9
- issue
- 8
- pages
- 20 pages
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85026748940
- ISSN
- 2071-1050
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 435bcbe2-df01-48b1-a9d2-136ecc5b94e6
- alternative location
- http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/8/1357
- date added to LUP
- 2017-08-28 13:49:02
- date last changed
- 2022-03-24 20:34:23
@article{435bcbe2-df01-48b1-a9d2-136ecc5b94e6,
abstract = {{Agroecology is gaining ground within the debate on how to address systemic social and environmental problems in agriculture. However, it remains marginalized in agricultural research and development plans around the world. This paper analyzes agroecology as a socio-technical niche in Uganda, where its emergence in part can be seen as an unintended consequence of neoliberalist development. The case studied is a civil society network that links farmer groups and non-governmental organizations across different levels. Through the analytical lens of regime dimensions, we find that agroecology is practiced as a smallholder-centric approach that champions collective action, locally appropriate technologies, participatory methods in research and extension, and calls for more active state guidance of agricultural change along specific principles. However, two major concerns are raised; the niche converges with the dominant discourse around commercialization, and policy advocacy is hampered by the apolitical history of NGOs and an increasingly tense political climate. These two areas are critical for agroecology to contribute to just sustainability transitions, and civil society organizations with strong links to smallholder farmers need to be included in the growing scholarly debate both to inform it and to receive guidance from it. Transition frameworks can help facilitate the development of viable institutional designs and explicitly transformative strategies, but we also point towards the need for engagement with theories on civil society collective action and political mobilization.}},
author = {{Isgren, Ellinor and Ness, Barry}},
issn = {{2071-1050}},
keywords = {{agroecology; just transitions; agricultural development; Uganda; civil society; transformative potential}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{8}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{Sustainability}},
title = {{Agroecology to Promote Just Sustainability Transitions: : Analysis of a Civil Society Network in the Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda}},
url = {{http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/8/1357}},
volume = {{9}},
year = {{2017}},
}