Sustainable agriculture: Recognizing the potential of conflict as a positive driver for transformative change

Skrimizea, Eirini, Lecuye, Lou, Bunnefeld, Nils, Butler, James R. A., Fickel, Thomas, Hodgson, Isla, Holtkamp, Carolin, Marzano, Mariella, Parra, Constanza, Pereira, Laura, Petit, Sandrine, Pound, Diana, Rodriguez Fernandez, Iokine, Ryan, Paul, Staffler, Jutta, Vanbergen, Adam J., van den Broeck, Pieter, Wittmer, Heidi and Young, Juliette C. (2020) Sustainable agriculture: Recognizing the potential of conflict as a positive driver for transformative change. Advances in Ecological Research. pp. 255-311. ISSN 0065-2504

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Abstract

Transformative changes in agriculture at multiple scales are needed to ensure sustainability, i.e. achieving food security while fostering social justice and environmental integrity. These transformations go beyond technological fixes and require fundamental changes in cognitive, relational, structural and functional aspects of agricultural systems. However, research on agricultural transformations fails to engage deeply with underlying social aspects such as differing perceptions of sustainability, uncertainties and ambiguities, politics of knowledge, power imbalances and deficits in democracy. In this paper, we suggest that conflict is one manifestation of such underlying social aspects. We present an original conceptualization and analytical framework, wherein conflict is recognized as an important motor for redistribution of power and leverage for social learning that—if addressed through a conflict transformation process—could potentially create a step-change in agricultural transformation towards greater sustainability. Our analysis, building on an extensive literature review and empirical case studies from around the world, suggests a novel approach to guide future transdisciplinary research that can support agricultural transformations towards sustainability.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	agriculture,agroecology,conflict,food systems,sustainability,transformation,ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics,ecology,sdg 2 - zero hunger ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development) University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Global Environmental Justice University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	09 Oct 2020 23:30
Last Modified:	14 Jun 2023 18:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/77181
DOI:	10.1016/bs.aecr.2020.08.003

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