Participatory research approaches to integrating scientific and farmer knowledge of soil to meet multiple objectives in the English East Midlands

Stephen Jones,Felicity Crotty,Carol Morris,Chris Stoate,Susanne Seymour

doi:10.1111/sum.12488

Stephen Jones, Felicity Crotty + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12488

Copy DOI

Abstract

AbstractSoil management influences food production, economic performance of farm businesses, and a range of public benefits such as water quality, flood control and aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of participatory research in combining scientific and farmer knowledge of soils to meet these multiple objectives. We use five separate research studies involving communication, consultation and co‐production, carried out in the English East Midlands between 2014 and 2018. We compare the participatory processes for knowledge exchange and their material outcomes and assess them retrospectively against specified criteria for successful application of participatory research. We conclude that, depending on context and scalar fit, multiple approaches to participatory research can be complementary, strengthen engagement and build trust within a farming community, resulting in a greater shared understanding of how to address the soil management objectives of farmers and wider society.

Highlights

Soil conservation and management is an increasing focus for agri-environment policy internationally because of the implications for both crop production on farm and numerous public goods and services beyond the farm boundary (OECD, 2015)
The aim of this paper is to explore the role of participatory research in combining scientific and farmer knowledge of soils to meet these multiple objectives
We use five separate research studies involving communication, consultation and coproduction, carried out in the English East Midlands between 2014 and 2018.We compare the participatory processes for knowledge exchange and their material outcomes and assess them retrospectively against specified criteria for successful application of participatory research

Summary

Introduction

Soil conservation and management is an increasing focus for agri-environment policy internationally because of the implications for both crop production on farm and numerous public goods and services beyond the farm boundary (OECD, 2015). There is increasing concern about soil erosion associated with compacted clay soils in upper catchments, with negative impacts both on crop production and on water quality (Stoate et al, 2017). Compaction reduces crop rooting capacity and nutrient uptake and is thought to be a likely cause of the failure to increase crop yields for more than a decade (Knight et al, 2012). These soil conditions are associated with increasing competition from the grass weed, black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides) which suppresses crop yields across most of the UK (Moss et al, 2007). The need to control this weed has largely driven recent changes in crop rotation, including more diverse cropping and the introduction of grass leys

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion