The Generative Potential of Tensions within Belgian Agroecology

Abstract

Food crises and ecologization have given rise to a Belgian dynamic that does not behave according to the conventional tripod of agroecology: practitioners, social movement, and scientists. Instead of simply recounting the history of Belgian agroecology, the authors trace the history and dynamics in Belgium), a journey along six strands that weave themselves into a Belgian tapestry: Genetically modified crop commandos, a scientific paradigm shift, hybrid expertise opening the Northern route that intersects with a Southern political route, an original non-institutional dynamic in the French-speaking part of Belgium and an institutional initiative that led to a rift in Flanders. In the following section, we identify, emerging from those six strands, four tensions that create a space of innovations, namely, politically differentiated discourses, land access, fair price, and epistemic tensions. We discuss then the generative potential of the 4 tensions and describe the potential of reconfigurations generated by boundaries organizations, food justice and transdisciplinarity. We conclude that the concept of agroecology continues to have transformative potential in Belgium today. However, no one can predict the course of such a largely non-institutional dynamic.

Manure management and soil biodiversity: Towards more sustainable food systems in the EU

“…Since agroecological farming systems operate on a regional basis, direct distribution, marketing and fairer prices increase consumer trust (Dumont et al, 2016) as well as (small) farmer profits. Parallel to agroecological movements (bottom-up movements, e.g., in Belgium; Stassart et al, 2018), there is increasing political support for these practices and institutional dynamics are driving the process: France has integrated agroecological practices at the national environmental policy level (Ajates Gonzalez et al, 2018;Moudrý et al, 2018), and the EU mentions explicitly agroecological farming practices in its Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 as a possible solution to maintain productivity while increasing soil fertility and biodiversity.…”

Opening the organisational black box to grasp the difficulties of agroecological transition. An empirical analysis of tensions in agroecological production cooperatives

“…Within hybrid organizations, analysing the construction of dynamic equilibriums (Smith and Lewis, 2011) helps to identify how actors translate conflicting imperatives into a set of tangible responses and practices (Pache and Santos, 2010), while preventing letting one logic, with its objectives and practices, from dominating another. This focus on tensions and paradoxes ties in both with the political economy approach to agricultural cooperation as proposed by Mooney (2004) and with the analysis of the potential for creative transformation withhold by agroecological initiatives (Stassart et al, 2018).…”

The economic potential of agroecology: Empirical evidence from Europe

“…Finally there is yet another feature that is very influential in everyday live practices. As argued before, AE is also a movement that is creating new alliances among farmers and between consumers and producers (Loconto et al, 2018;Stassart et al 2018) that result in new markets. In many instances this results in improved off-farm prices for agroecological products (see also Sanders et al, 2016;Stevenson and Pirog, 2008).…”