ABSTRACT

The way farmers perceive their relationship with the agricultural system affects the type of farm management implemented. Thus, it is fundamental to understand the needs, views, and motivations of farmers to integrate scientific knowledge more effectively in the day-to-day problems of farmers and foster the adoption of more sustainable practices. We interviewed 12 agroecological and 10 conventional horticultural farmers from the Madrid Region of Spain to characterize their profiles and evaluate their views toward agriculture, challenges experienced, and adopted farm practices. We found that the sociocultural profiles and the number of products grown differed widely among farmers. Further, significantly more sustainable practices were adopted by agroecological farmers compared to conventional farmers, with wider diversification in productive activities. Based on the different perceptions of agroecological and conventional farmers, we discuss the barriers and opportunities for spreading agroecology in the study area.

摘要

农民如何看待他们与农业系统的关系会影响实施的农场管理类型。因此，了解农民的需求、观点和动机以将科学知识更有效地融入农民的日常问题并促进采用更可持续的做法至关重要。我们采访了来自西班牙马德里地区的 12 位农业生态农民和 10 位传统园艺农民，以描述他们的概况并评估他们对农业的看法、所经历的挑战和采用的农业实践。我们发现，农民的社会文化概况和种植的产品数量差异很大。此外，与传统农民相比，农业生态农民采用了更可持续的做法，生产活动更加多样化。基于对生态农业和传统农民的不同看法，我们讨论了在研究区传播生态农业的障碍和机会。