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Open Access CC BY V4.0
Journal article
Participatory action research generates knowledge for Sustainable Development Goals
Frontiers in ecology and the environment, Vol.21(7), pp.341-349
09/01/2023
Abstract
New approaches to generating knowledge are needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participatory action research (PAR) builds on and expands the scientific process through engagement of scientists (ecological, agricultural, and social) with stakeholders in a systematic manner. To illustrate iterative co-learning cycles, we report on two decades of PAR in rural communities in Malawi. Novel findings include the expansion of agricultural diversity beyond agroforestry to meet farmer requirements while enhancing redundancy and supporting a broad range of functions. Insights from farmers facilitated identification of the value of intermediate growth habits (such as those of shrubs and vines) as "goldilocks" crop types that tighten nutrient cycles in mixed farming systems while providing multiple harvests of nutritious seeds and forage. This illustrates how PAR involves co-design with stakeholders and learning by doing, to meet local needs and mediate trade-offs, as well as generate knowledge that addresses SDGs.
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Details
- Title
- Participatory action research generates knowledge for Sustainable Development Goals
- Creators
- Sieglinde S. Snapp - International Maize and Wheat Improvement CenterRachel Bezner Kerr - Cornell UniversityAnn Bybee-Finley - Agricultural Research ServiceRegis Chikowo - University of ZimbabweLaifolo Dakishoni - World Health Organization - MalawiPhilip Grabowski - Taylor UniversityEsther Lupafya - World Health Organization - MalawiWezi Mhango - Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesVicki L. Morrone - Michigan State UniversityLizzie Shumba - World Health Organization - MalawiGeorge Kanyama-Phiri - Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Publication Details
- Frontiers in ecology and the environment, Vol.21(7), pp.341-349
- Academic Unit
- College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 9
- Identifiers
- 99901397976101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article