Video interview with Robert Chambers from IDS on Learning

Robert Chambers from the Institute of Development Studies (University of Sussex) is one of the pioneers of participatory approaches for sustainable agriculture and development. Interview done in Cali in April 2008, during the Learning Laboratory Meeting. Produced by Cristina Douthwaite.

Charles Francis: Future active learning for agroecology

Charles Francis (Univ. of Nebraska) is a leading expert on improving learning for sustainable agriculture. In 2006 he gave University of Alberta Bentley Lecture on Sustainable Agriculture Lecture No. 4 Learning for the Future: Preparing for Complexity, Uncertainty, and Sustainability. In a recent paper in the Agronomy Journal (vol 100, issue 3, 2008; Transdisciplinary Research for a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Sector C. A. Francis,* G. Lieblein, T. A. Breland, L. Salomonsson, U. Geber, N. Sriskandarajah, and V. Langer) Charles et al., highlight their success with an Agroecology masters programme in Norway.

Open University, Open Systems Research Group work on Integrated Catchment Managing

Kevin Collins (OU) and his colleagues have been working with the catchment science team at the Environment Agency over the past 2 years. At CAIWA2007, Kevin gave a fascinating presentation on 'Trusting emergence: Some experiences of learning about integrated catchment science with the Environment Agency of England and Wales '. This paper set out to explore whether current scientific practices and the resultant scientific explanations are able to meet the demands of doing effective integrated, adaptive water management, using some learning arising from co-research work with the EA in England and Wales.

Useful web resource: Learning for Sustainability

I recently discovered this very useful site (maintained by Will Allan) that aims to provide a practical resource for those who work with communities (in the wider sense of the term) to help them identify and adopt more sustainable practices. The pages on interdisciplinary research have links to the key scientific literature.