Building connections, repairing rifts: the work of scaling agricultural diversification in the Upper Midwest

Abstract

Our dominant agricultural system is culpable for profound ecological and social harms. Simultaneously, interlocking political, technical, and socio-cultural factors ensure the maintenance of the dominant agri-food system and inhibit the viability of alternatives that are broadly acknowledged as beneficial. In the face of this challenge, actors invested in supporting alternative modes of agriculture must proactively share resources, knowledges, and build connections amongst aligned stakeholders to create momentum for systemic change. These connection-building actors have previously been conceptualized as intermediaries of sustainability transitions. This research project extends current understandings of intermediaries through a case study of an effort to expand regional agricultural diversification in the U.S. Midwest. The first research chapter (Chapter 2) develops a concept of agroecological intermediaries, defined broadly by the core principles of building social infrastructure, redistributing power in agri-food systems, and agroecological repair; and more specifically through the suite of ten core work functions that make up their day-to-day work. Additionally, this chapter works towards a definition of an “agroecological transition” that motivates regional intermediaries’ work, providing a basis for assessing intermediary efficacy. Chapter 3 builds off the concepts developed in Chapter 2 to carry out a cross-case comparison of intermediary work in three cropping systems: Kernza perennial grain, winter annual oilseeds, and managed grazing systems. Intermediary work practice, relationship development, and strategy varied across the three cropping systems, resulting in varied sustainability transition approaches ranging from scaling fast to scaling deep. Chapter 4 interrogates intermediary emergence and capacity to alter institutions to better achieve sustainable agricultural systems, using a case study of intermediaries in Land Grant Universities. Together, these chapters aim to enhance our capacity to advance sustainable agroecosystems by illuminating the ways these actors are succeeding or struggling to connect their broad aspirations for a sustainable agricultural landscape with the consequences and effects of their practice. In particular, this research proposes a new suite of methods that can be used to assess ongoing sustainability efforts in other contexts.