Bacon C.M., Cohen R., Gliessman S.R., Méndez V.E. Agroecology: a transdisciplinary, participatory and action-oriented approach

CRC Press, 2016. — 268 p. — 9 Color & 35 B/W Illustrations. — (Advances in agroecology). — ISBN: 1482241773, 9781482241778Agroecology: A Transdisciplinary, Participatory and Action-oriented Approach is the first book to focus on agroecology as a transdisciplinary, participatory, and action-oriented process. Using a combined theoretical and practical approach, this collection of work from pioneers in the subject along with the latest generation of acknowledged leaders engages social actors on different geo-political scales to transform the global agrifood system.
The book is divided into two sections, with the first providing conceptual bases and the second presenting case studies. It describes concepts and applications of transdisciplinary research and participatory action research (PAR). Transdisciplinary research integrates different academic disciplines as well as diverse forms of knowledge, including experiential, cultural, and spiritual. Participatory action research presents a way of engaging all relevant actors in an effort to create an equitable process of research, reflection, and activity to make desired changes. Six case studies show how practitioners have grappled with applying this integration in agroecological work within different geographic and socio-ecological contexts.
An explicit and critical discussion of diverse perspectives in the growing field of agroecology, this book covers the conceptual and empirical material of an agroecological approach that aspires to be more transdisciplinary, participatory, and action-oriented. In addition to illustrating systems of agroecology that will improve food systems around the world, it lays the groundwork for further innovations to create better sustainability for all people, ecologies, and landscapes.Content: Introduction: Agroecology as a Transdisciplinary, Participatory, and Action-oriented ApproachV. Ernesto Mendez, Christopher M. Bacon, and Roseann CohenAgroecology: Roots of Resistance to Industrialized Food SystemsStephen R. GliessmanTransformative Agroecology: Foundations in Agricultural Practice, Agrarian Social Thought, and Sociological TheoryGraham Woodgate and Eduardo Sevilla GuzmanPolitical Agroecology: An Essential Tool to Promote Agrarian SustainabilityManuel Gonzalez de MolinaLearning Agroecology through Involvement and ReflectionCharles Francis, Edvin Ostergaard, Anna Marie Nicolaysen, Geir Lieblein, Tor Arvid Breland, and Suzanne MorseComplexity in Tradition and Science: Intersecting Theoretical Frameworks in Agroecological ResearchJohn Vandermeer and Ivette PerfectoAgroecology, Food Sovereignty, and the New Green RevolutionEric Holt-Gimenez and Miguel A. AltieriThe Intercultural Origin of Agroecology: Contributions from MexicoFrancisco J. Rosado-MayParticipatory Action Research for an Agroecological Transition in Spain: Building Local Organic Food NetworksGloria I. Guzman, Daniel Lopez, Lara Roman, and Antonio M. AlonsoAgroecology, Food Sovereignty, and Urban Agriculture in the United StatesMargarita Fernandez, V. Ernesto Mendez, Teresa Mares, and Rachel SchattmanOn the Ground: Putting Agroecology to Work through Applied Research and Extension in VermontDebra Heleba, Vern Grubinger, and Heather DarbyAgroecology as a Food Security and Sovereignty Strategy in Coffee-Growing Communities: Opportunities and Challenges in San Ramon, NicaraguaHeather Putnam, Roseann Cohen, and Roberta M. JaffeThe Mesoamerican Agroenvironmental Program: Critical Lessons Learned from an Integrated Approach to Achieve Sustainable Land ManagementIsabel A. Gutierrez-Montes and Felicia Ramirez AgueroAnalysis of Tropical Home Gardens through an Agroecology and Anthropological Ecology PerspectiveAlba Gonzalez-Jacome