Reflecting on collaborative research into the sustainability of Mediterranean agriculture: A case study using a systematization of experiences approach

Abstract

This article describes how a research institute went about reviewing the relationship between its members and external research partners in engaging in collaborative research. A systematization of experiences (SE) process was implemented to enable such review and draw implications for the institute’s strategy regarding research into the sustainability of Mediterranean agriculture. The SE exercise included four workshops attended by selected researchers, one questionnaire survey targeting the institute’s research community, and three focus group discussions with external research partners. The rate of participation by researchers decreased during the process; however, those that followed through to the end of the SE exercise found it to be useful in clarifying both individual and institutional perspectives. Further, SE was seen as a vehicle for increasing the level of understanding between researchers and their willingness to engage in collaborative actions. However, the rapid pace of today’s academic world and the dominant mode of evaluating scientific performance were identified as hindering the conditions needed to allow the necessary space and time for reflection and collaborative efforts. Therefore, the results highlight the current tension between the production of scientific knowledge according to existing patterns and the development of socially meaningful research.