Current Science

Lydia Betz ¹, Isabelle Kunze ², Parameswaran Prajeesh ³, T. R. Suma ³, Martina Padmanabhan ⁴

Affiliations
1 Agroecology, Department of Crop Science, Georg-August University Goettingen, DE
2 Institute of Environmental Planning, Leibniz Universität Hannover, DE
3 Community Agrobiodiversity Centre, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Wayanad 673 121, IN
4 Comparative Studies in Development and Culture, University Passau, DE

Abstract

Conducting inter- and transdisciplinary research requires integrative tools. The present study aims at a better understanding of social-ecological transformation processes through the lenses of indigenous women and men farmers from three different farmer communities in Kerala, South India. Central to the interdisciplinary data analysis is the development of a social-ecological web understood as a bridging concept that seeks to integrate knowledge from social and natural sciences. The social-ecological web is a useful method to highlight differences between the communities, to foster interdisciplinary analysis of both social and ecological changes, and to reflect on the challenges of integrating several disciplines and stakeholders.

Keywords

Farmer Communities, Interdisciplinarity, Social-Ecological Transformation, Transdisciplinary Research.

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