Innovative Education in Agroecology: Experiential Learning for a Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

The transdisciplinary field of agroecology provides a platform for experiential learning based on an expanded vision of research on sustainable farming and food systems and the application of results in creating effective learning landscapes for students. With increased recognition of limitations of fossil fuels, fresh water, and available farmland, educators are changing focus from strategies to reach maximum yields to those that feature resource use efficiency and resilience of production systems in a less benign climate. To help students deal with complexity and uncertainty and a wide range of biological and social dimensions of the food challenge, a whole-systems approach that involves life-cycle analysis and consideration of long-term impacts of systems is essential. Seven educational case studies in the Nordic Region and the U.S. Midwest demonstrate how educators can incorporate theory of the ecology of food systems with the action learning component needed to develop student potentials to create responsible change in society. New roles of agroecology instructors and students are described as they pursue a co-learning strategy to develop and apply technology to assure the productivity and security of future food systems ABSTRACT The transdisciplinary field of agroecology provides a platform for experiential learning based on an expanded vision of research on sustainable farming and food systems and the application of results in creating effective learning landscapes for students. With increased recognition of limitations of fossil fuels, fresh water, and available farmland, educators are changing focus from strategies to reach maximum yields to those that feature resource use efficiency and resilience of production systems in a less benign climate. To help students deal with complexity and uncertainty and a wide range of biological and social dimensions of the food challenge, a whole-systems approach that involves life-cycle analysis and consideration of long-term impacts of systems is essential. Seven educational case studies in the Nordic Region and the U.S. Midwest demonstrate how educators can incorporate theory of the ecology of food systems with the action learning component needed to develop student potentials to create responsible change in society. New roles of agroecology instructors and students are described as they pursue a co-learning strategy to develop and apply technology to assure the productivity and security of future food systems.

Agroecological Research: Conforming—or Transforming the Dominant Agro-Food Regime?

“…Examples from other continents include: the Campesino a Campesino movement in Central America (Holt Giménez 2006); action research on sustaining local food systems, biodiversity, and livelihoods in South India, Peru, Iran, and Indonesia (Fakih et al 2003 Pimbert et al in prep. ); "phenomenon-based learning," which engages students in an innovative pedagogical model for agroecological teaching and learning in real-world situations (Francis et al 2011;Francis et al 2013); and the social process methodology used in constructing sustainable peasant agriculture and food sovereignty in Cuba (Rosset et al 2011). …”

Agroecology Education by Bicycle on Two Continents: Student Perceptions and Instructor Reflections

“…Because of the field's orientation toward applied knowledge, agroecological educational theory focuses on "capacity building" within real-world contexts that prepare students with the intellectual and practical skills to address wicked problems (Francis et al, 2011). Adventure learning has similar concerns in terms of building student capacities (Doering, 2005).…”

Agroecology: Polysemy, Pluralism and Controversies

“…These organizations generally reaffirm the need to take into account ethical and social aspects as well as the importance of interaction between farmers, consumers and other stakeholders, pointing towards a novel concept not only for agriculture, but also for the food system (DALGAARD et al 2003;FRANCIS et al, 2011), often from a perspective of relocalization (LAMINE, 2012).…”