The Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology (TPP) – supported by SDC – launched a bold citizen science campaign during UNFSS in September 2021 to involve smallholder farmers, farm workers, and food consumers in generating knowledge to accelerate and document agroecological transitions. This initiative aims to give a voice to all small-scale farmers who practice agroecology in their own way as well as consumers who are committed to sustainable and equitable systems to participate in defining national food systems transition pathways.

Project scope and aim

The overall goal of the project is to develop one single or a series of contextually relevant approaches and tools that enable farmers, producer organizations, consumers, or other potential end users to inclusively participate in agroecology movements. Smallholders occupy various positions in value chains, including producers, transporters, transformers, distributors and sellers, and are in a unique position to elicit and contribute information to fill key knowledge gaps on the performance of agroecology. The objective of the initiative is to bring them together and have them lead the way to identify and develop solutions to support agroecological transitions, generate knowledge and data on agroecology, while following the principles on participation, inclusion, and overall social equity in its approach.

In brief, the goal is to develop a tool, or a series of tools, that enable users to:

• inclusively participate in agroecology movements
• support sustainable adoption of agroecology
• contribute to the collection, co-creation and sharing of information to fill key knowledge gaps on the performance of agroecology.

Modality

The initiative promotes a participatory co-creation process with regional farmers, producers and indigenous associations. These associations engage regional dialogues amongst their constituents to identify the desired scope of the initiative, including:

• The underlying research question – or an answer to the question ‘what do you want to know more about, what can you imagine contributing to, what can you imagine using?’
• Realistic modes of engagement in a proposed citizen science campaign (i.e., data collection vs. analysis; personal phone app vs. online platform filled by others, etc.)

These dialogues are accompanied by a worldwide review and analysis of existing approaches for citizen science that support agroecology and agroecological transitions. In close collaboration with knowledge partners, namely the Citizen Science Centre Zurich, a tool will be launched and scaled with the partnering associations to engage at least one million people in generating new knowledge in support of agroecological transitions.

Timeframe