Upcoming Special Issue on Agroecology: Journal of Sustainable Agriculture Volume 36

Abstract

The Journal of Sustainable Agriculture puts forth a special issue, entitled, “Agroecology and the Transformation of Agro-Food Systems: Transdisciplinary and Participatory Perspectives.” This issue will examine recent trends in agroecology that view the field as a transdisciplinary and participatory process, which seeks to actively engage social actors to transform the global agro-food system. This agroecological perspective looks to analyze and engage actors and social processes at different geopolitical scales. Much of the work aligned with this approach is characterized by the use of transdisciplinary and participatory action research (PAR). The first can be defined as an approach that integrates, not only different academic disciplines (especially the social with the natural sciences), but also values and includes different forms of knowledge and practice (e.g., experiential, cultural, spiritual, etc.).The second is a way of engaging all relevant actors in an effort to attain an equitable process of research, reflection, and engagement on areas of desirable social change. Agroecology is defined as the integration of science, practice, and social movements in food systems. To truly be agroecology, this integration is a necessity.