The human being at the heart of agroecological transitions: insights from cognitive mapping of actors’ vision of change in Roquefort area
Abstract
Agroecological transitions aim at developing sustainable farming and food systems, adapted to local contexts. Such tran-
sitions require the engagement of local actors and the consideration of their knowledge and reasoning as a whole, which
encompasses different natures of knowledge (empirical, scientific, local, generic), related to different dimensions (economic,
environmental, technical, social, political), as well as their values and perceived uncertainties. While these transitions are
often problematized in relation to technical issues, this article's objective is to start from the way the local actors consider
these transitions in order to see what issues are actually involved. In this study, we analyzed the reasoning of diverse farming
actors, including farmers and farm advisors. We conducted 30 cognitive mapping interviews, during which the local actors
drew cognitive maps to explicit their reasoning concerning their agroecological transition with an open approach. Their
reasoning revealed an emphasis on the human & social dimension of the process of agroecological transitions: (i) human
and social considerations come first in the transition process, while technical solutions are viewed as secondary, (ii) use and
development of human capacities, social interactions and human well-being are crucial to the conduct of agroecological
transitions, (iii) human-scale farming appears as a condition for the use of human capacities, human well-being and rural
development, (iv) agroecological transitions imply farming advisory transitions, and (v) rural development appears as a
condition for agroecological transitions, implying transitions in society as a whole.