Farmer field schools and the co-creation of knowledge and innovation: the mediating role of social capital
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Farmer field schools and the co‑creation of knowledge and innovation: the mediating role of social capital Chrysanthi Charatsari1 · Evagelos D. Lioutas2 · Alex Koutsouris3 Accepted: 13 May 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Research has repeatedly confirmed that farmer field schools (FFS) can serve as a bridge between science and farm practice, enhancing simultaneously rural social energy. However, even though social capital is a burgeoning topic in FFS research, it is not clear whether and how it mediates FFS performance. In this mixed-methods study, using data from two FFS projects conducted in Greece, we examined if social capital among trainees facilitates the co-creation of knowledge and the co-development of agricultural innovations by farmers. A thematic analysis was performed to analyse qualitative data, whereas regression models were employed for the quantitative strand of analysis. Results revealed that social capital evolves progressively during FFS, enabling the achievement of the project’s aims by enhancing in-group communication, establishing affective ties, instilling a sense of community, and triggering motivational contagion among participants. Statistical analyses confirmed that the “softest” sides of social capital (bonding and connection) significantly contribute to knowledge and innovation co-production. Although this work was based on data derived only from two FFS projects that took place in Greece, our findings underline the importance of social capital for the success of any FFS project and emphasise the need for identifying routes to nurture social capital within FFS. Keywords Farmer field schools · Social capital · Innovation · Knowledge · Extension Abbreviations FFS Farmer field schools ICM Integrated crop management
* Chrysanthi Charatsari [email protected] Evagelos D. Lioutas [email protected] Alex Koutsouris [email protected] 1
Department of Agricultural Economics, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
2
Department of Supply Chain Management, International Hellenic University, Kanellopoulou 2, 60100 Katerini, Greece
3
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
Introduction Conventional agricultural knowledge diffusion approaches face considerable difficulties in meeting farmers’ real needs (Lioutas et al. 2019), in building upon their experience (Calo 2018), and in overcoming their culturally rooted disbeliefs about farming (Salite 2019). Farmer Field Schools (FFS) represent a response to the limited ability of these traditional, linear practices of knowledge transfer, to supply farmers with systemic and experiential knowledge. Starting in the late 1980s as an FAO-supported initiative in Indonesia (Van de Fliert et al. 1995; Winarto 1995), FFS continue to help farmers—especially in the developing countries—to enhance their knowledge potential (Davis et al. 2012). Built on the core principles o
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