TY - JOUR

T1 - Uncovering decolonial pedagogies for learning agroecological transitions

T2 - comparative analysis of South America cases

AU - Bonatti, Michelle

AU - Reynaldo, Renata Guimarães

AU - Martín-López, Berta

AU - Bolivar, Sergio

AU - Cordero-Fernández, María

AU - Miguel, Giovanna Chavez

AU - Martin, Adriana

AU - Hämmerle, Janika

AU - Schröter, Barbara

AU - Erismann, Carla

AU - da Silva Rosa, Teresa

AU - Hellin, Jon

AU - Schlindwein, Izabella

AU - Osorio, Álvaro Acevedo

AU - Medina, Leonardo

AU - Baldivieso, Carla

AU - Eufemia, Luca

AU - Jacobi, Johanna

AU - Lobo Guerrero, Ana Maria

AU - Sieber, Stefan

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)

PY - 2025/10

Y1 - 2025/10

N2 - Agroecological transitions represent strategic pathways for transforming agricultural systems to meet urgent global sustainability goals. These transitions encompass fundamental changes in social-ecological relationships, knowledge systems, and power dynamics within food systems. However, the mechanisms facilitating such transitions remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding the diversity and efficacy of pedagogical models employed in existing agroecological initiatives. This knowledge gap is especially pronounced within Global South contexts, especially Latin America, where decolonial approaches hold particular relevance and tradition within effective agroecology initiatives. Using a decolonial lens, this study explores the pedagogical models used in community-led agroecological initiatives in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and workshops (n 140), alongside participant observations, we applied a qualitative archetypes analysis to examine three community-led agroecology initiatives. We identified three distinct but interconnected contextual narratives: a. Living Pedagogies; b. Resistance Pedagogies; and c. Hybrid Pedagogies. Despite these different contextual narratives, they share clear patterns, which allowed us to identify one major archetype − the South pedagogies archetype. The decolonial pedagogy found can be fundamental to accelerate agroecological transitions. Traditional communities in Colombia and Peru have preserved and evolved their agroecology knowledge systems through generations of collective learning, offering profound insights into sustainable food production that transcend the limitations of Western scientific methodologies. In parallel, decolonial pedagogies in the Brazilian case were essential to promote urban agroecological transition that started during the 2000s. These findings inform agroecological transition development based on learning processes that value multiple ways of being.

AB - Agroecological transitions represent strategic pathways for transforming agricultural systems to meet urgent global sustainability goals. These transitions encompass fundamental changes in social-ecological relationships, knowledge systems, and power dynamics within food systems. However, the mechanisms facilitating such transitions remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding the diversity and efficacy of pedagogical models employed in existing agroecological initiatives. This knowledge gap is especially pronounced within Global South contexts, especially Latin America, where decolonial approaches hold particular relevance and tradition within effective agroecology initiatives. Using a decolonial lens, this study explores the pedagogical models used in community-led agroecological initiatives in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and workshops (n 140), alongside participant observations, we applied a qualitative archetypes analysis to examine three community-led agroecology initiatives. We identified three distinct but interconnected contextual narratives: a. Living Pedagogies; b. Resistance Pedagogies; and c. Hybrid Pedagogies. Despite these different contextual narratives, they share clear patterns, which allowed us to identify one major archetype − the South pedagogies archetype. The decolonial pedagogy found can be fundamental to accelerate agroecological transitions. Traditional communities in Colombia and Peru have preserved and evolved their agroecology knowledge systems through generations of collective learning, offering profound insights into sustainable food production that transcend the limitations of Western scientific methodologies. In parallel, decolonial pedagogies in the Brazilian case were essential to promote urban agroecological transition that started during the 2000s. These findings inform agroecological transition development based on learning processes that value multiple ways of being.

KW - Co-creation of knowledge

KW - Decolonial practices

KW - Endogenous social learning

KW - Locally-led agriculture initiatives

KW - Biology

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Environmental Governance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105010588917&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103042

DO - 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103042

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:105010588917

VL - 94

JO - Global Environmental Change

JF - Global Environmental Change

SN - 0959-3780

M1 - 103042

ER -