Power hierarchies can threaten global food security and ‘silence innovative voices’, according to new research published today.
In a situation where communities are asked to adopt sustainable farming practices, handing control over to centralised social networks, to the same people who did it last time, isn’t necessarily a recipe for success, researchers from the University of Sydney and Stockholm University point out in the new study.
Using the cocoa-producing villages in Sulawesi, researchers examined how the make up of the social networks in charge impacted fertiliser use and the adoption of sustainable farming practices. What they found was that when power was put in the hands of one or two ‘model farmers’ all the other farmers would simply follow their lead.
“If you’ve ever watched a group of kindergarteners play soccer, you’ll know that they run after the one kid who has the ball all at the same time. It’s a bit like that – to foster innovation what you really need is people playing a range of roles and exploring a problem from different angles,” said Associate Professor Matous from the University of Sydney’s School of Project Management.
Referencing a UN study, showing 2.5 billion people worldwide rely on smallholder farms for their livelihood, the study makes the case that decision is therefore crucial, with huge implications for global food security.
“Centralising influence risks locking in the wrong approach as the status quo – from there it can create a culture of homogeneity, reinforcing pack mentality and group think,” adds Matous. “When combined with power hierarchies in which those who are less central are not listened to, it can crowd out innovative voices, sometimes swaying entire communities one way or another. In the case of fertilisers, this is a problem because too much can threaten the environment and too little can impact food security.”
The research was published in collaboration with Swisscontact, an NGO that promotes sustainable agricultural practices.
