Van De Gevel, Jeske, van Etten, Jacob and Deterding, Christoph Sebastian orcid.org/0000-0003-0033-2104 (2020) Citizen science breathes new life into participatory agricultural research:A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 35. ISSN 1773-0155
Abstract
Participatory research can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and scope of research processes, and foster social inclusion, empowerment and sustainability. Yet despite four decades of agricultural research institutions exploring and developing methods for participatory research, it has never become mainstream in the agricultural technology development cycle. Citizen science promises an innovative approach to participation in research, using the unique facilities of new digital technologies, but its potential in agricultural research participation has not been systematically probed. To this end, we conducted a critical literature review. We found that citizen science opens up four opportunities for creatively reshaping research: i) new possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration, ii) rethinking configurations of socio-computational systems, iii) research on democratization of science more broadly, and iv) new accountabilities. Citizen science also brings a fresh perspective on the barriers to institutionalizing participation in the agricultural sciences. Specifically, we show how citizen science can reconfigure cost-motivation-accountability combinations using digital tools, open up a larger conceptual space of experimentation, and stimulate new collaborations. With appropriate and persistent institutional support and investment, citizen science can therefore have a lasting impact on how agricultural science engages with farming communities and wider society, and more fully realize the promises of participation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Theatre, Film, TV and Interactive Media (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC EP/M023265/1 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 28 Sep 2020 09:40 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 16:52 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-020-00636-1 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s13593-020-00636-1 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:165946 |
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