An experiment in strengthening the networks of remote communities in the face of environmental change: leveraging spatially distributed environmental memory

Abstract

Agrarian communities in different regions develop diverse coping strategies to address the environmental changes they face. In this work, we test how to stimulate farmers' social learning across diverse regions to promote informed responses to soil degradation. We invited 117 randomly selected members of 16 randomly selected Sumatran communities to three 3-day networking and training events in regions with diverse socio-environmental histories. One event was held in the respondents' remote rural district (Tanggamus), the second was held in a more densely populated region on Sumatra Island (Kalianda), and the third was held in a heavily populated region on Java Island (Garut and Ciamis). Eighteen months later, we surveyed the information-sharing networks and agricultural practices of 370 members of these communities. The participants had become popular sources of agricultural advice, but the strength of this impact depended on the region in which their networking intervention was conducted. The participants in the event on Java had become the most central members of their communities. Although all the participants received the same formal information, those who interacted with the farmers in a region with the longest history of population pressure and land degradation management were more likely to adopt the recommended practices. The participants in this intervention doubled their odds of adopting organic fertilizers compared with those who networked only with peers in their local environment. Environmental memory of coping with change can be shared between regions through social learning, which can be stimulated by simple interventions.

Smallholder farmers’ social networks and resource-conserving agriculture in Ghana: a multicase comparison using exponential random graph models

“…Overall, these findings are in line with previous findings on the structure of individual networks and adoption of proenvironmental practices, insofar as those who express good farming practices are highly sought after (Isaac et al 2007, Matouš et al 2013, Isaac et al 2014, Matous and Todo 2018. When making decisions regarding from whom to seek advice or with whom to share inputs, farmers would often reach out to peers who have demonstrated clear signs of successful farming practices (Wood et al 2014).…”

Do translocal networks matter for agricultural innovation? A case study on advice sharing in small-scale farming communities in Northeast Thailand

“…While a social network perspective draws attention to the social fabric underlying innovation processes, relatively little is known about how innovation processes work at and between spatial scales (Binz et al 2014). Only a few studies have addressed the role of spatiality in agricultural innovation networks: Whilst, in general, geographical distance presents an obstacle to social learning and behavioral diffusion (Matous et al 2013), Wossen et al (2013) find that spatial distance between network actors is positively related to the adoption of sustainable land use practices, as farmers are more likely to learn something "new" from distant peers; and Matous and Todo (2018) reveal that farmers with geographically long ties are more likely to adapt to environmental change. One central assumption underlying this argument is that spatial extensive networks connect farmers with diverse environmental experiences and environmental memory (Isaac et al 2014;Matous and Todo 2018).…”

“…Only a few studies have addressed the role of spatiality in agricultural innovation networks: Whilst, in general, geographical distance presents an obstacle to social learning and behavioral diffusion (Matous et al 2013), Wossen et al (2013) find that spatial distance between network actors is positively related to the adoption of sustainable land use practices, as farmers are more likely to learn something "new" from distant peers; and Matous and Todo (2018) reveal that farmers with geographically long ties are more likely to adapt to environmental change. One central assumption underlying this argument is that spatial extensive networks connect farmers with diverse environmental experiences and environmental memory (Isaac et al 2014;Matous and Todo 2018). In this case, long-distance ties can significantly reduce topological distance in a social network and facilitate rapid knowledge diffusion, especially if combined with strong local networks (Isaac and Matous 2017).…”

“…Obviously, long-distance ties matter more in remote rural communities constrained by information and resource scarcity than in areas with abundant communication and transport (Matous and Todo 2018). Given advancing mobility (Ellis 2003) and progressing agrarian transformation (Rigg 2006) in many countries of the Global South, however, remote communities are the exception rather than the norm.…”

“…Instead, informal translocal ties are often related to migration of family or household members. These migration-related translocal ties connect distant but closely related actors that are embedded in different socio-economic and agro-ecological contexts and therefore can provide access to new knowledge and facilitate agricultural innovation (Scheffran et al 2012;Wossen et al 2013;Sakdapolrak et al 2016;Matous and Todo 2018). Besides direct knowledge exchanges, agricultural innovation might also be facilitated by indirect translocal knowledge exchanges, such as through experience returning migrants bring back to places of origin (Isaac et al 2014;Salpeteur et al 2016).…”