Rooted in grass: Challenging patterns of knowledge exchange as a means of fostering social change in a southeast Minnesota farm community

By convening a multidisciplinary team(the Monitoring Team) that included farmers,university and agency researchers, andnon-profit staff; a small group of farmers insoutheast Minnesota, U.S.A., bolstered thelegitimacy of the sustainable agriculturemovement. Through the experience of forming ateam and working with individuals who operatedwithin the mainstream knowledge paradigm,farmers gained validation of their knowledgeabout farming, while researchers came to valuealternative knowledge systems. In the contextof a socially embedded movement, farmers wereempowered by sharing their knowledge withresearchers, and ultimately contributed to thesustainable agriculture movement by challengingtraditional patterns of knowledge exchange.     

Scaling up: Bringing public institutions and food service corporations into the project for a local,sustainable food system in Ontario

This paper reports on a relationship between the University of Toronto and a non-profit, non-governmental (“third party”) certifying organization called Local Flavour Plus (LFP). The University as of August 2006 requires its corporate caterers to use local and sustainable farm products for a small but increasing portion of meals for most of its 60,000 students. LFP is the certifying body, whose officers and consultants have strong relations of trust with sustainable farmers. It redefines standards and verification to create ladders for farmers, Aramark and Chartwells (the corporations that won the bid), and the University, to continuously raise standards of sustainability. After years of frustrated efforts, other Ontario institutions are expressing interest, opening the possibility that a virtuous circle could lead to rapid growth in local, sustainable supply chains. The paper examines the specificities of the LFP approach and of the Toronto and Canadian context. Individuals in LFP acquired crucial skills, insights, experience, resources, and relationships of trust over 20 years within the Toronto “community of food practice,” located in a supportive municipal, NGO and social movement context. Harriet Friedman PhD, is Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga and at the Centre for International Studies University of Toronto. Her research is in international and local politics of food and agriculture, focusing on contested transitions between food regimes. Her current research is on politics of standards and certification. Thanks to Lori Stahlbrand, Mike Schreiner, and Rod MacRae of LFP and Debbie Field and Zahra Parvinian of FoodShare for sharing time and insights at length, and to Wayne Roberts of TFPC, David Clandfield of New College, Josee Johnston, and Amber McNair for helpful conversations about our “community of practice.” Thanks to Yossi Cadam for the ladder metaphor.     

社会资本对农户化肥农药减量技术采纳意愿的影响——基于学习能力的中介和生态认知的调节

为分析农户社会资本对化肥农药减量技术采纳意愿影响,运用在湖北、上海、重庆市(省)获取的326份调研数据,采用多元线性回归,分析了社会资本对农户化肥农药减量技术采纳意愿的作用机制.结果表明,社会资本对农户化肥农药减量技术采纳意愿具有正向影响,其中社会信任对化肥农药减量技术采纳意愿影响作用最大,社会网络次之,社会规范最小;...