Participatory research for sustainable agriculture: the case of the Italian agroecological rice network

Abstract

Since the Green Revolution, worldwide agriculture has been characterized by a typical top–down approach. The degree of autonomy, creativity, and responsibility of farmers has been limited by the continuous external inputs of chemicals, machinery, advice, subsidies and knowledge.The issue of sustainability has brought complexity and uncertainty to this mainly linear process of innovation, steering agriculture toward alternative models. Agroecology represents an innovative paradigm of agriculture in which external inputs are minimized, and the assets of the farm are greatly valued. Agroecological production relies on the farmers’ direct management of resources and on their active engagement in the agricultural knowledge and innovation system.This paper focuses on the experience of a group of farmers, scientists, public officials, and managers of private companies who are experimenting with agroecology in rice production in one of the most intensively farmed, profitable and environmentally sensitive areas of Italy. The partnership regularly comes together to discuss agricultural techniques and results, needs, and paths of innovation; in addition, it stimulates and takes part in research projects, following a participatory process based on co-learning and mutual responsibility. By using ethnographic methods such as direct observations and in-depth interviews, our work may contribute to understanding the role of participatory research in sustainable agriculture and what makes for good participation.

Examining Researchers’ Attitudes, Barriers, and Opportunities for Participatory Research: The Case of the Riso-Biosystems Project on Organic Rice

“…In WP5, on the other hand, an innovative participatory activity was carried out within a multi-actor network made up of WP5 researchers, 12 farmers, two public officials, and a distribution company of organic products. The ways in which this activity was carried out and its results are presented respectively in Pagliarino et al [42] and Orlando et al [40]. Pretty [3] would define this activity "interactive participation", which, in its framework of analysis of degrees of participation, represents the most advanced level of participation, where stakeholders have the most active role and are in an equal condition with respect to researchers.…”

“…Researchers have a major influence on the implementation of any given project [16] and are fundamental for the success of participatory approaches [58]. In our case, a group of researchers was interested and well prepared to experiment with innovative forms of stakeholder involvement and they were able to verify the results of this activity with a scientific and rigorous approach [40,42]. The rest of the partnership, however, continued to interact with stakeholders as it was used to, refusing to experiment with different proposals.…”

“…Our project takes into account the diversity of environmental and business contexts in which organic rice cultivation is carried out and the wealth of cultivation techniques used by rice growers in all WPs. In WP5, it attempts to integrate the knowledge of rice growers into a real process of co-learning and co-innovation (described in detail in Pagliarino et al [42]). In this sense, it can be said that the project is close to the constructivist paradigm and, therefore, more capable of incorporating a participatory approach.…”

A Participatory Analysis of the Control and Certification System in the Italian Organic Rice Value Chain

“…At the end of 2014, the phenomenon of so-called "fake organic" exploded, causing a still-ongoing crisis in the entire Italian sector, with tensions between rice farmers, accusations and suspects, speculation on lands, journalistic inquiries, and investigations by the competent authorities. With the emergence of the inefficiency of the CCS, it has been clear that the problem of the integrity of the supply chain was not only a concern of the certifying bodies (CBs) or the supervisory authorities, but also an ethical, cultural, and educational problem that affected the whole supply chain, and that a radical change was required to guarantee the reliability and transparency of the sector [14].…”

La responsabilité sociale dans la culture de riz bio en Italie

“…L'approche que nous avons utilisée pour les cas d'étude consiste à associer des méthodes qualitatives telles que l'observation participante et des entretiens poussés (pour les détails, voir Pagliarino et al, 2020). En particulier, nous avons interviewé 20 adhérents du réseau avec une approche biographique, en leur demandant de relater leur histoire personnelle.…”