Interfacing knowledge systems: introducing certified organic agriculture in a tribal society

Abstract

Orgamc agnculture contmues to be portrayed as a promlsmg alternative for the present 'unsustamable' farmmg practIces around the world. The conversIOn to 'orgamc' IS often accompamed by the mtroductlOn of umversal pnnclples and standards that allow for certIficatIOn. The research reported on here took place on the mterface between two knowledge systems: orgamc agnculture as mterpreted by the Inter• natIOnal FederatIOn ofOrgamc Agnculture Movements (IFOAM) and the shlftmg cultIvatIOn based system as exemphfied by the Naga tnbes m the north•east of IndIa. The study demonstrates that the mtroductlOn of a umversal knowledge system, such as IFOAM, m some cases may actually be counter• productive m the development of contextually appropnate and workable sus tamable land management systems. Instead oflmposmg orgamc agnculture on local commumtles m a well• meant attempt to estabhsh a more sus tamable agncultural system, the authors conclude that alternative paths towards sustamable development are needed, paths that take mto account dlffenng perceptIOns of what 'sustamable land use' means m a specIfic context. A sOClallearnmg approach IS proposed to create synergy between the two systems.

Indigenous communities and sustainable development: A review and research agenda

“…“Knowledge” constitutes keywords, namely, impacts (7), politics (6), communities (4), sustainability (4), etc. It is the fourth most commonly occurring theme, exhibiting the strongest link strength between indigenous knowledge and SDGs (Eernstman & Wals, 2009; Segger & Phillips, 2015; Singh, 2010). Extant literature has studied indigenous cultures and indigenous knowledge systems to understand how successfully they respond to ecological and developmental challenges and assist in achieving the SDGs (Magni, 2017; Priyadarshini & Abhilash, 2019; Rawat et al., 2010).…”

“…The theme “people” includes keywords, namely, agriculture (4), diversity (4), ecotourism (4), children (3), etc. Some research articles have sought to provide alternate approaches to development that aim to increase self‐reliance and local production (Eernstman & Wals, 2009; Islam, 2021; Spann, 2018). These papers challenge conventional development models that often prioritize external interventions and globalized economic systems.…”

“…By doing so, these papers offer valuable insights and recommendations for rethinking and reshaping development practices toward more sustainable and locally grounded approaches. Eernstman and Wals (2009) concludes that, rather than imposing organic agriculture as an alternative form, alter-native paths that take into account differing perceptions of what "sustainable land use" means in a specific context are required. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the plight of daily wage earners as well as indigenous and marginalized people (Souza, 2020;Times, 2020).…”

Towards a new generation of climate information systems : information systems and actionable knowledge creation for adaptive decision-making in rice farming systems in Ghana

“…Also, when actionable knowledge is being created from information, uncertainty must be discussed, given that change is continuous and thus the actionability of knowledge is tied to time and change in environmental and socio-cultural conditions. (Eernstman & Wals, 2009) affirm this by asserting that knowledge systems are not static.…”

Reflexively stumbling towards sustainability : understanding social learning in regional governance networks

“… The interface between indigenous local knowledge and universal knowledge systems in organic food production (Eernstman and Wals, 2009);…”