The Montado case study Co-construction of locally-led innovative solutions

Abstract

The interactive relationship between society and science is one of the critical challenges of the modern construction of science. Two premises can be found in research aiming to be socially meaningful. The first premise is the involvement of enlarged peer communities for the co-construction of knowledge in order to enrich scientific research. The second premise is the acknowledgment of the central role of forms of human knowledge other than the scientific form, including that such inclusion may empower otherwise marginalized social groups. The discussion about these relationships is not new in the agricultural sector, especially with regard to knowledge transfer, which has historically been framed as `extension’. In recent years, the concept of learning and innovation networks for sustainable agriculture has emerged, and research and extension services have been experimenting with new methods and practices related to facilitation and brokerage within networks. The story we are about to tell is based on these premises and develops around the growing involvement of a multi -stakeholder network, as well as the adoption of participatory approaches where researchers embrace the roles of learninginnovation-change facilitators and knowledge brokers.