Abstract
Successful transition to sustainable agricultural approaches that improve food security is exceedingly complex and requires widespread collaboration from diverse stakeholders. To achieve regenerative goals, practitioners need improved guidance to align individual and group objectives, successfully coordinate collective action and resolve conflicts that inevitably arise. This chapter outlines how concepts drawn from the Nobel Prize-winning work of Elinor Ostrom can enhance cooperation and inspire positive change that fosters social and ecological resilience. To illustrate how the eight prosocial design principles first articulated by (Ostrom,.Governing the Commons: the evolution of institutions for collective action, Cambridge University Press, UK, Poli Econ Instit and Decis, 1990) operate in groups working to promote sustainable agriculture and food security, the paper explores patterns of resilience within a fascinating agricultural community in Costa Rica that has managed to establish itself as a tangible alternative to the extractive global food system. Highlighted stories focus on how both the accomplishments and limitations observable in this case can be traced to the extent that the partnering organization has, or has not addressed the principles Ostrom identified. After exploring observed patterns of both resilience and fragility, the chapter builds on Ostrom’s theory to propose an alternative model for supporting sustainable agriculture and food security through the establishment of multi-shareholder cooperatives that minimize transaction costs between members to support bioregional systems of production and distribution with the potential to increase farmer livelihoods while making locally produced, sustainable food more accessible and affordable to those in need.
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Notes
- 1.
Ostrom (1990) explores the conditions under which groups can avoid the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and outlines eight key principles necessary for groups to successfully govern common pool resources. Atkins et al. (2019) applies these principles to develop a universal framework for the development of effective and socially equitable groups.
- 2.
Agroecology can be defined as the application of ecological science to the study, design and management of sustainable agroecosystems (Altieri, 2002). As a form of agriculture, these ‘agroecosystems’ are designed to minimize the need for or usage of high energy inputs, and instead utilize genetic diversity as a key organizing principle in order to achieve beneficial and synergistic biological interactions between agroecosystem components that allow for the regeneration of soil fertility, protect crops and maintain production over time.
- 3.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is an approach to communication based on principles of nonviolence. It's not a technique to end disagreements, but rather is designed to increase empathy and improve quality of life (Rosenberg, 2015).
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Harron, C.F., Matthew, R.A. (2022). Prosocial Partnerships – A Scalable Pathway to Sustainable Agricultural Development. In: Leal Filho, W., Kovaleva, M., Popkova, E. (eds) Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98617-9_3
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