Paper short abstract:

The paper explores a grassroots organisation's innovative initiatives in creating transition pathways for farmers to adopt agroecological practices. It discusses how such initiatives can help decenter dominant forms of knowledge while creating equitable and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Paper long abstract:

Unsettling dominant forms of resource-intensive agricultural practices require institutional buy-in and support of regenerative forms of farming. However, the model and vision of technocentric productivity have led to the institutionalisation of resource-intensive practices, leading to a knowledge-practice lock-in. Despite practitioners' contrary experiences, mainstream scientific institutions suffer from epistemological inertia in moving towards agroecological knowledge systems. Creating a legitimate space for the 'science at margins' requires 'insiders' recognising the interconnections between sustainability and livelihood issues and building patterns of production and consumption based on mutual co-existence.

This paper highlights the knowledge-practice gap and the sustainability-livelihood link while tracing the innovative initiatives of an Indian grassroots organisation known as Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) (Corporation for Farmers’ Empowerment). RySS implements the Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) Program of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. This unique program is redefining farmers' relationship with the land through implementing a host of practices derived from agroecological practices. RySS program does this with the help of young people known as ‘Natural Farming Fellows’ (NFF), who are trained to facilitate farmers' transition to ZBNF compatible practices. Interestingly, most NFFs are agricultural graduates trained in the mainstream knowledge systems of agri-development and extension.

By elaborating on the dynamics of knowledge dialogues through NFFs participation in the programme, this paper explores grassroots capacity building pathways. Their narratives foreground possibilities of ground-up engagement needed to initiate institutional changes focused on ecological wellbeing.