The role of the social network structure on the spread of intensive agriculture: an example from Navarre, Spain
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The role of the social network structure on the spread of intensive agriculture: an example from Navarre, Spain Amaia Albizua 1,2
&
Elena Bennett 2 & Unai Pascual 1 & Guillaume Larocque 3
Received: 29 September 2018 / Accepted: 18 June 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Social networks influence decision-making in agricultural landscapes by affecting how farmers access knowledge and resources. However, researchers ignore the disparate structures built to access different kinds of knowledge and resources and the social mechanisms that take place on such farmers’ advice networks. We explored the role of social networks in decision-making among farmers in Navarre (Spain) to understand how and why some practices spread among farming communities. Social network analysis allows us to understand how farmers in this region share both knowledge and resources, and the potential implications of this sharing for the landscape. We find that large-scale farmers undertaking intensive land management are at the core of the network in this region, controlling the flow of knowledge and resources related to farm management, policy, technology, and finance. The central position of these farmers in the social network, and their reputation, is key to the spread of intensive farming practices in the region, which ultimately may lead to homogenization of local agricultural landscapes. Understanding farmer network structures in a context of agricultural intensification can help tease out the social mechanisms, such as farmers joining each other in cooperatives, behind the spread of agricultural practices. Keywords Social network structure . Knowledge sharing . Resources . Land management . Sustainability . Agriculture . Agrarian landscapes
Introduction The integration of rural economies into global commodity markets has led to a restructuring of rural agrarian sectors worldwide (Kay 2002; Cramb 2007), accelerating agricultural intensification
processes (Tilman et al. 2011). Such restructuring is normally accompanied by an increased area of monocultures and the use of new technologies such as improved seed varieties and largescale irrigation (Zarrilli 2010; Andreas and Zhan 2016). While intensification may favor yield increases, it can also lead to
Communicated by Diana Sietz Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-020-01676-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Amaia Albizua [email protected] Elena Bennett [email protected] Unai Pascual [email protected] Guillaume Larocque [email protected]
1
BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change / Klima Aldaketa Ikergai, Scientific Campus of the University of the Basque Country, Sede Building 1, 1st floor, 48940 Leioa, Spain
2
McGill University, Macdonald-Stewart Building (Room 2-062) 21,111 Lakeshore Road Ste., St.-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
3
McGill University Stewart Biology, McGill University, 1
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