Questioning the work of farmers, advisors, teachers and researchers in agro-ecological transition. A review

Abstract

The French Ministry of Agriculture has called for agro-ecological transitions that reconcile farming and the environment. In this review, we examine the transformations of farmers and AKIS (Agriculture Knowledge Innovation System) actors' work during agro-ecological transitions, and argue that the content, organization, and aim of farmers' work are influenced by agricultural training, agricultural development, and discussions between peers, research, and regulations. Our main findings concern those transformations. The first finding was that there is an increasing expression of local particularities (situated ecological processes, micro-climates, etc.) and farmers' singularities (e.g., relationship with nature). These particularities challenge AKIS players' forms of organization and intervention, which used to be built on generic knowledge. Our second finding was that AKIS players have to consider their action as one potential contribution to the development of farmers' experience: Their interventions become part of the flow of the farmer's activities. The question for AKIS players is then: How can farmers' own discovery of their natural and technical environment from new perspectives be facilitated? Thirdly, we found that transformations of work are systemic: The "doing", the knowledge applied, and the values and norms to which subjects refer change. Facilitating transition can no longer be considered as a problem of knowledge availability. Fourthly, production of agronomic knowledge and ways in which it is disseminated are being challenged. Not only does knowledge have to be certified by scientific norms and methods, it has also to be valued by actors if it is to have an impact. The prescriptive relationship of science and AKIS players towards farmers is likewise challenged. This review raises many questions: Do agro-ecological transitions contribute to reorienting the development of farmers' activity? Are agro-ecological transitions conducive to the development of sustainable farm work? What transformations of AKIS players' work are needed to better support agro-ecological transitions?

Work-related information needed by farmers for changing to sustainable cropping practices

“…Before or during the experiment on his/her farm?" Several authors have shown that field testing the new practice is a key stage of the change of practice (Collerette et al 1997;Chantre 2011;Toffolini et al 2016;Catalogna et al 2018). For each farmer interviewed, we identified and categorized the work-related changes, and for each category, we identified the various information items the farmers had used in connection with it.…”

“…But he also said it was always different from one farm to another, and that it was by experimenting and seeking solutions to problems as they arose that one could gradually reorganize the work, i.e., "who does what when," depending on each year's weather conditions. Several authors have identified innovation experiments as the key stage in the process of changing to a new practice (e.g., Collerette et al 1997;Chantre 2011;Toffolini et al 2016;Catalogna et al 2018).…”

“…Change is described as a multi-step process, including a stage of innovation experiments and not simply the decision to change practices. Most of the research in this respect has been performed by the social sciences (e.g., Collerette et al 1997), and more recently by agronomists (Chantre 2011, Toffolini et al 2016, Catalogna et al 2018.…”

Le travail en élevage et ses mutations

“…Un partage des pistes de recherches devient envisageable et des chantiers méthodologiques communs, entre systèmes d'élevage et de cultures, pourraient porter par exemple sur les aléas dans la réalisation des travaux de saison, l'optimisation de la délégation, les conséquences de la robotisation, etc. (Coquil et al, 2018). En prolongeant les tendances actuelles Gambino et al (2012) décrivent un portrait social prospectif des agriculteurs, marqué, entre autres, par l'affaiblissement du particularisme du secteur, qui peut induire des pertes d'identité professionnelle mais aussi susciter de nouvelles synergies.…”

“…D'autres moteurs sont à l'origine des évolutions des métiers d'éleveur. Ainsi, les injonctions sociétales à « produire autrement » (Coquil et al, 2018) modifient les pratiques agricoles et les évolutions sociales interpellent de manière réflexive le mode de vie des familles (Fillonneau, 2012).…”