Action Research on Land Management in the Western Amazon, Peru – A Research Process, Its Outcomes and the Researcher’s Role

Abstract

The article explores the action research process throughout a land management research project, with the ambition to reflect upon action research as a working approach. It is shown how this process is experienced from a researcher's point of view and it critically analyses its methodology and process, outcome and the role of the action researcher.The learning environment known to farmers and framed by local institutions and practical experimentation, embedded in the local worldview, constituted a necessary starting point for achieving motivation and practical outcomes. Tight feedback loops between practice and reflection enabled joint learning and innovation and rapid implementation of measures suggested by the farmers. The approach could be particularly useful for local NGOs and local universities.

Considering change: Evaluating four years of participatory experimentation with farmers in Tigray (Ethiopia) highlighting both functional and human–social aspects

“…Our inputs, therefore, were restricted to facilitation of the experiments and including, in addition to the treatments the farmer groups proposed, alternative treatments. This was done for purpose of comparison (controls and current practice on farmer fields), achieving at some experimental rigor (replications) and inspiration (Arévalo and Ljung, 2006;Sumberg et al, 2003). Alternative treatments were included in the experimental lay out only when possible (the maximum number of plots was about 15).…”

“…The categories were defined as being below and above 50% yield response as compared to the control plots (see also Kraaijvanger and Veldkamp (2015b)). Institutions: Institutions represent the formal and informal setting in which the farmers operate and are considered very important in supporting participation (Arévalo and Ljung, 2006;Dienes and Altmann, 2003;Prince, 2004). Such settings can be either productive or contra-productive (Van Rijn et al, 2012).…”

Ways of seeing environmental change: Participatory research engagement in Yunnan, China, with ethnic minority Hani participants

“…Throughout the 1980s, the benefits of participation were advocated for all fields of social science research, and PLA was coined as an overarching, trans‐disciplinary category (Chambers, 2007a). Within agricultural research, PLA methodologies have been applied to research on soil fertility (Defoer, 2002; Nederlof and Constant, 2007), integrated pest management (Bentley, 2009) and land management (Arévalo and Ljung, 2006). Importantly, PLA research design allows for evaluation and adaptation during the research process (Wetmore and Theron, 1998; Defoer, 2002).…”

Etnopedologia: uma abordagem das etnociências sobre as relações entre as sociedades e os solos

“…O envolvimento com o grupo em estudo e reconhecimento das relações sociais, econômicas e culturais fornecem subsídios para obtenção de informações mais específi cas do conhecimento local sobre solos. Dessa forma, o pesquisador é capaz não só de entender as relações com base na sua experiência, mas levando em consideração também a forma de visão local, permitindo a interpretação e conceitualização de forma mais signifi cativa (ARÉVALO & LJUNG, 2006). Agregando essas informações, MATOS (2008), em estudo com quilombolas, em Minas Gerais, identifi cou quatro macroambientes com base, principalmente, no relevo e teor de umidade do solo, sendo estes: "carrasco", "encosta" ou "cultura vermelha", "vazante" e "brejo".…”