WISIONS Research Workshop on the Diffusion of Sustainable Family Farm Practices in Colombia

The workshop originates from the cooperation between RedBioCOL, the Association of Indigenous and Peasant Producers of Riosucio (ASPROINCA), the University of Lüneburg in Germany and WISIONS. It has been organised as a case-based Mutual Learning Session. This is a transdisciplinary format that aims to create spaces for the exchange and integration of knowledge from different perspectives, including scientific insights from different disciplines as well as knowledge from stakeholders and practitioners beyond academia or science. The workshop will gather 25 representatives from four types of stakeholder relevant to the development and diffusion of innovations in family farming: i) farmer associations; ii) non-governmental organisations; iii) research and development institutions; and iv) representatives from local state institutions.

This transdisciplinary exercise will also advance WISIONS’ own research into the role of community-based initiatives in promoting the diffusion of sustainable energy solutions in rural contexts. Previous research by WISIONS on this topic has shown that the sustainable adoption of renewable energy solutions is often closely related to the level at which those energy solutions are integrated into the farming systems of rural households and that community associations can play a key role in that process. For examples, see our contributions at the BREG-MES Symposium in Berkeley 2014 and at the Tropentag 2015 in Berlin.