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A group of Mexican researchers from the National Autonomous University of Puebla set out to bring together scientists and farmers by fostering a space for dialogue.
Image credit: Lourdes Mateos Espejel
The programme, led by Dr Lourdes Mateos – a communications researcher – and Dr Luis Daniel Ortega – a bioltechnologist, wanted to investigate: How does science communication motivate the adoption of biotechnological innovations in agriculture? How can science communication models be applied in the adoption of innovations? What are the interests that motivate women to participate in science communication processes in agriculture?
In a recent chapter of a public book on science communication (originally in Spanish) they describe the work and outcomes.
The aim was to discuss the potential for the adoption of new technologies, such as biofertilizers, biosubstrates and biopesticides. They also wanted this space to support the coexistence of scientific and local knowledge about when and how to plant crops.
They describe how for these rural and marginalized communities access to science communication and researchers can be limited by the need to travel to municipal capitals to access scientific activities, the scarcity of contacts with science and the lack of science communication programs in the communities.
In addition, in the case of Mexico, the adoption of biotechnological innovations in agriculture has been affected by an intensive use of agrochemicals; the transfer of technologies to farmers who have little control over their development and management; the loss of soil fertility and greater participation of men in agricultural work.
In this context, the research was focused on a group of 15 women between 35 and 72 years old, who dedicate part of their daily activities to agriculture and are residents of San Lorenzo Almecatla, an auxiliary council belonging to the municipality of Puebla, bordering the state of Tlaxcala.
The initial phase of the project consisted of a survey and qualitative interviews with the famers. The survey of the 15 female farmers indicated that the reasons motivating their participation were focused on increasing learning in the use of new technologies, improving the quality of crops, experiencing vegetable production, and having the opportunity to grow a product such as strawberries, which is not common in the community.
After this initial phase, a Whatsapp group was formed with the researchers and the farmers. It was collectively decided to start the planting process with microgreens. The Whatsapp group would serves as a way to respond to doubts, around how to use the biotechproducts from the researchers to support the microgreens growth, provide encouragement and recognize achievements.
After the first stage with microgreens, the programme expanded into growing grain for animal feed. The women farmers could jointly co-create forage; that is, organize to buy the materials and decide the optimal time for the forages to be employed. For this, communication via WhatsApp was essential, since depending on the reported color and size of the plant, the scientist would provide some further indications of how to improve the process and how the biofertilizers and biopesticides would be able to help.
In the final stage, the group of women decided they wanted to grow strawberries. After conversations with the scientists they decided to use a biofertilizer prepared in the laboratory of the Faculty of Biotechnology of the UPAEP. The two previous collaborative efforts in growing different crops allowed the farmers to build a relationship the scientists and develop greater trust.
Strawberries, unlike microgreens and forage, require more specific placement of the strawberry, the roots and the distribution of the biofertilizer. The farmers reached out to the scientist to ask for more information about the components of the biofertilizer, to understand the effect of this on strawberries. The discussions also touched upon doubts about what impact the biofertilizer had on the plant growth or survival. All these concerns were discussed individually but also as a group, with visits to the biotechnology laboratory organized. This allowed the women farmers to understand where innovation comes from and the origin of the strawberry.
The whole project was part of a broader strategy to engage biotechnology researchers in deploying science communication to increase their reach and impact in a given community, and understand what works well as part of this engagement process.
The researchers concluded that “the motivations and knowledge of women farmers about technologies require a science communication strategy that in each of its stages incorporates co-creation processes that can be oriented towards sociotechnical governance, since citizens develop, build and implement materials, procedures and protocols by themselves to solve specific problems in their local area.”
