Skilled vision in agroecology: Anticipation at the heart of sustainability
(2022) kritisk etnografi – Swedish Journal of Anthropology — Vol. 5, n° 1-2, p. 17-36 (2022)
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- Abstract
- In this paper, I conceptualise observational practices of market-gardeners as a form of ‘skilled vision.’ I substantiate my work with a detailed study of a small cooperative farm located in Wallonia (Belgium), where gardeners grow approximately 50 varieties of vegetables within 14 different gardens and 10 greenhouses. I also investigate how the market-gardeners’ skilled vision relates to sustainability as practiced on the farm, focusing specifically on the relationship between the market gardeners’ skilled vision and temporality. Time is a central feature in the skilled vision of the market-gardeners, required to manage what I call the “polychrony” (Greek chronos) of a complex agroecosystem. Market-gardening is mainly based on observation and anticipation of the evolution of plants and their ecosystem. Contrary to common belief, the sustainability of food production practices is not only a recipe of techniques, authorised, and unauthorised substances, but relies on the fine management of the temporalities of the field.
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Loodts, N. (2022). Skilled vision in agroecology: Anticipation at the heart of sustainability. kritisk etnografi – Swedish Journal of Anthropology, 5(1-2), 17-36. (Original work published 2022)