TY - JOUR

T1 - The diffusion of sustainable family farming practices in Colombia

T2 - An emerging sociotechnical niche?

AU - Ortíz, Willington

AU - Vilsmaier, Ulrike

AU - Acevedo Osorio, Álvaro

PY - 2018/5/1

Y1 - 2018/5/1

N2 - There is significant potential for family farming to contribute to several dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. Our research aims to provide insights to help strengthen sustainable family farming. We focus on initiatives that have advanced sustainable family farming innovations in Colombia and analyse the factors and dynamics that have led to the limited penetration of those innovations across the country. To that aim, a transformative methodology is applied involving representatives of farmers’ associations, supporting organisations and researchers from various disciplinary fields. We analyse the network of initiatives against the conceptual background of sociotechnical niches and identify a stable niche where generic lessons are being systematically identified and used to establish replication projects. However, this niche is still limited in its breadth, which results in a low capacity for expansion and a strong dependency on international donors for reproducing experiences. Specific recommendations are outlined for broadening the type of actors involved in the interpretation and dissemination of lessons from the niche. Moreover, we outline suggestions for further research and conceptualisation in two directions: for exploring effective ways of broadening the niche and translating niche lessons to state policies and for deepening the understanding of interactions between the niche and other levels.

AB - There is significant potential for family farming to contribute to several dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. Our research aims to provide insights to help strengthen sustainable family farming. We focus on initiatives that have advanced sustainable family farming innovations in Colombia and analyse the factors and dynamics that have led to the limited penetration of those innovations across the country. To that aim, a transformative methodology is applied involving representatives of farmers’ associations, supporting organisations and researchers from various disciplinary fields. We analyse the network of initiatives against the conceptual background of sociotechnical niches and identify a stable niche where generic lessons are being systematically identified and used to establish replication projects. However, this niche is still limited in its breadth, which results in a low capacity for expansion and a strong dependency on international donors for reproducing experiences. Specific recommendations are outlined for broadening the type of actors involved in the interpretation and dissemination of lessons from the niche. Moreover, we outline suggestions for further research and conceptualisation in two directions: for exploring effective ways of broadening the niche and translating niche lessons to state policies and for deepening the understanding of interactions between the niche and other levels.

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Family farming

KW - Agroecology

KW - Sustainability transition

KW - Sociotechnical niches

KW - Case-based mutual learning

KW - Colombia

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029599038&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11625-017-0493-6

DO - 10.1007/s11625-017-0493-6

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 13

SP - 829

EP - 847

JO - Sustainability Science

JF - Sustainability Science

SN - 1862-4065

IS - 3

ER -