Supporting agricultural transformations in a time of climate change
Farmers at the centre of the problem and the solution
Small-scale farmers are central to global food systems, producing a significant share of the world’s food and contributing to household food and nutrition security. Yet they are also among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, placing farmers at the centre of the problem and solution.
Knowledge dissemination and learning processes
Despite increasing recognition of the need for transformative change in agriculture, existing approaches to knowledge dissemination have struggled to effectively support farmers in adapting to the complex challenges arising from the crisis. Morgane Batkai’s research addresses the challenge of understanding how learning processes among small-scale farmers can support transformative change in agricultural systems.
Literature, data from Honduras and a case study in Uruguay
To explore this question, Batkai applied a mixed-methods approach. She combined a large-scale dataset analysis of farming households in Honduras, a systematic literature review on social learning in agricultural transformations, and a qualitative case study examining participatory learning processes in a reduced-tillage project in Uruguay. Together, these methods provide insights into both broad patterns and context-specific learning dynamics. Batkai identified key factors that shape learning for transformation in agricultural contexts. These include the involvement of diverse stakeholders, participation characteristics, activities and resources, relationships, and knowledge types.
How learning unfolds
The study proposes a framework that identifies three overlapping types of learning: instrumental (practical skills and knowledge), communicative (shared understanding), and emotional (values and perspective). It also highlights how these learning processes can lead to action at individual, interpersonal, and collective levels. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, the framework serves as a guide for researchers and practitioners to design more inclusive and context-specific learning processes that can support long-term transformation.
Learning processes in practice: a case study
A case study in Uruguay illustrates how these learning processes work in practice. In a participatory project aimed at introducing reduced tillage practices, farmers, researchers, and agricultural technicians worked together in collaborative workshops. Participants not only learned new farming techniques (instrumental learning) but also developed shared understandings and exchanged experiences (communicative learning), while reflecting on their values and motivations (emotional learning). This led to tangible changes, such as farmers experimenting with new practices, sharing new knowledge with external networks, and researchers adapting knowledge-sharing practices. However, the project also revealed structural barriers, such as limited resources that slowed down progress. This example highlights both the potential and limits of transformative social learning, in that it has the potential to foster transformative learning, but it does require sustained support.
Morgane Batkai (Toulouse, 1996) is a part-time writer at The Foodscapes Collective and a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Nepal. She graduated in 2021 from the European School of Political and Social Sciences in Lille, France, with a Master’s in Food Politics, and in 2018 from the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK with a Bachelor’s in Cultural Studies.
On April 9, 2026 at 16.00, she will defend her thesis titled 'Transformative Social Learning: A Mixed Methods Approach at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences' at the Open University in Heerlen.
Promotors are prof. dr. ir. Jetse Stoorvogel, dr. ir. Jean Hugé and dr. Wim Lambrechts (Open Universiteit). The defence can be attended live at the Open Universiteit in Heerlen and followed online via ou.nl/live.