Agriculture and Ecological Integrity

Agriculture and action research are closely related. There are many different styles of agriculture; however, in this context, civic agriculture will be discussed. A civic agricultural system, as defined by Thomas Lyson and Amy Guptill in 2004, is locally oriented in production, distribution and consumption; it does not use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers and aims to work with nature in producing food. This agricultural paradigm speaks directly to action research's tenet of pursuing practical knowledge to solve everyday problems. Access to nutritious and healthy food is a major issue for a billion people around the globe. Also, given the environmental impacts that humans are having on the earth, it important for action researchers to understand [Page 33]the ecological implications of our food production systems. Civic agriculture and action research can be seen as two sides of the same coin, informing one another in their cyclical methods, relational foundations and social justice goals. This entry explains these similarities, explores these connections and offers examples.

First, it is necessary to bear in mind that agriculture is one of humanity's earliest sciences and has permitted our species to diversify our division of labour and build complex civilizations. While action research as a philosophy is a more recent development, it draws on the very same processes and methods that humans used to invent soil cultivation: trial and error with repeated iterations.

Agriculture requires intimate knowledge of local climates and seasons, along with an encyclopedic understanding of numerous plants and animals, and important details of their uses for humans. Also, information about seeds, germination, planting depth, planting time, water, sunlight, soil requirements, harvest and storage is crucial to ensure successful successions of crops. This knowledge about how the natural world works and how it can be used for human purposes took hundreds of thousands of years to acquire and be passed down between generations before our ancestors began applying it in new ways. These methods of cultivation demanded cyclical processes that were informed by their pervious iterations.

Two examples of these cyclical applications include seed selection and the use of organic material as fertilizer. In selecting the next set of seeds to be planted, humans typically choose those that are the most hardy (that have lasted the longest), biggest and tastiest. Also, the organic ‘waste’ from plants and animals is used to create nutrient-rich soil for the next generation of crops. There is a symbiotic relationship between the livestock eating the stubble from our harvest and their waste fertilizing the soil.

In considering action research, these cyclic methods are at the heart of a praxis approach to projects and working with others. It is through repeated iterations that action researchers strive for continuous improvement in their methods and products. The outputs from previous rounds are evaluated and used to inform our next action steps. Similar to the process of civic agriculture, action research tends to be locally oriented in its endeavours. Action research is also flexible and responsive to the idiosyncrasies of communities and specific projects. Furthermore, action research is open to diverse epistemologies and ways of knowing. This adaptability and openness are mirrored in civic agriculture's emphasis on best bioregional practices. The cyclical methods of civic agriculture and action research can be understood as one and the same (see Figure 1).

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