Using co-constructed mental models to understand stakeholder perspectives on agro-ecology

Abstract

Agro-ecology has been recognized as a potential route to realizing the multiple economic, social, and environmental benefits increasingly required of agricultural systems. However, views on what constitutes agro-ecology differ considerably between countries, and also between stakeholder groups such as natural scientists and farmers. To identify areas of convergence and divergence in understandings of agro-ecology in the Scottish context, we used a novel co-constructed mental modelling approach with a sample of 8 scientists and 7 farmers in the North East of Scotland. Results show that agro-ecology in Scotland is currently mainly understood as a scientific discipline applying ecological analysis to agricultural systems. Farmers' mental models show a wider consideration of the food system, including consumer health, markets and sustainable energy. Precision farming featured prominently in farmers' mental models but not in the scientists' mental models. Our discussion therefore raises the question to what extent precision farming and agro-ecology support or contradict each other. We conclude that although farmers and scientists differ considerably, there are areas of shared understanding, such as the potential of novel crops and new crop rotations, which could be the starting point of working towards an agriculture that delivers multiple benefits.

Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: Environment, Economy, Society, and Policy

“…Some articles have addressed environmentally friendly agricultural systems such as organic farming [190][191][192][193][194] and agro-ecology [190,195,196], biodynamic agriculture [197,198], and conservation agriculture [199]. Migliorini and Wezel [190] suggested that "Both agroecology and organic agriculture offer promising contributions for the future development of sustainable agricultural production and food systems, especially if their principles and practices converge to a transformative approach and that impedes the conventionalisation of agrofood systems".…”

Four critical conditions for agroecological transitions in Europe

“…Ambiguity round the concept of agroecology is not typically Dutch (see, e.g. van Hulst et al, 2020). With a concrete measure such as herb-rich grasslands it may be possible to realize synergies.…”

How farmers think about insects: perceptions of biodiversity, biodiversity loss and attitudes towards insect-friendly farming practices

“…However, what they all have in common is that they are models of people's mental structures that have been translated into conceptual interlinked systems. Thus, the use of mental models techniques facilitates system thinking, sheds light on different perspectives on an issue, offers the possibility to derive suitable solutions, and supports decision-making for innovation processes by revealing the shared and complementary views of the actors (Biggs et al 2011;Prager and Curfs 2016;van Hulst et al 2020). Applying a qualitative mental model technique can reveal deep insights into the thinking of people and allow for comparisons of their individual patterns by displaying overlaps and divergences (van Hulst et al 2020).…”