Space to tinker: From faux resilience to productive novelty in agricultural policy

Farming Resilience: From Maintaining States towards Shaping Transformative Change Processes

“…By briefly contrasting two readings of an interview, I show how our academic practices can reinforce seeming fixities and inevitabilities, by using an approach that builds on determinism, structures, order, and clarity, by assuming matter to be inert and passive, with human willpower as the only source of change. It is unsurprising that recommendations derived from such research contributes to policies that strengthen the ability of farms to buffer shocks, to remain within the current trajectory, thereby constraining transformative change (see [80,141,142]). Contrasting the two readings shows that the worldview that guides how we operationalize concepts such as resilience are not innocent choices we make as researchers.…”

“…Finally, some studies take a critical approach, focusing on social justice and human emancipation, highlighting how resilience is political, i.e., how the way it is used and implemented is imbued with specific interests by specific groups. Such studies are partly based on interviews and partly on the analysis of documents, and usually focus on how the concept of resilience is framed by various groups and how this framing constrains farmers (e.g., [7,79,80]).…”

“…Resilience can then not be prescribed recipe-like from the outside; it is not tied to some specific farm structure or configuration of activities, but emerges from an active engagement in the situation, guided by an understanding of the dynamics driving the farming system, the agro-ecosystem, the economic system, the social system; it is also guided by a sense of the possible that allows recognizing opportunities afforded by the ever-changing situation on-and off-farm. Clearly, the situation off-farm is important as it may afford more or less options, can be enabling or (severely) constraining [29,79,80].…”

“…Indeed, as change processes are open-ended, and their impact is context-dependent, it is unclear at the outset what any one change will lead to. Change may contribute to the system staying on the current trajectory, where what may appear different is little more than 'old wine in new bottles' (see [80]); or it may be transformative as it leads to a new logic, a new mindset, a new bundle of relations that guides farming.…”

Effect of Structural Economic Vulnerability on the Participation in International Trade

“…Reducing structural economic vulnerability is a much more complex issue and involves both shifting the production (and hence exports) structure towards high value-added goods (i.e., through a structural transformation) and improving countries' resilience to environmental shocks. Discussing policies for structural transformation and improvement of resilience to environmental shocks goes beyond the scope of this paper (see for example Atolia et al 2020;Caves et al 2020;Hidalgo 2022;Nissanke 2019;Shamout et al 2021;Verschuur et al 2020). Such policies are likely specific to each developing country, even though common regional policies might be envisaged.…”