A recent study published in Frontiers in Ecology encourages researchers to produce findings in collaboration with local communities. The authors conclude that this approach can meet local needs while helping to advance progress around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“In a rapidly changing world, new ways to do ecological research are urgently needed that support local agencies and generate ecological management practices to specific conditions,” Sieglinde Snapp, a co-author of the paper, tells Food Tank. Snapp serves as the Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program Director at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.

Participatory action research (PAR) is a framework that centers communities most affected by that research and engages them in the process of knowledge generation. The process, the authors state, “enhances a holistic understanding to derive systems solutions.”

As part of the study, the researchers examined two decades of PAR focused on rural agricultural communities in northern and central Malawi. Collectively, the work engaged hundreds of communities and farmer networks.

Engaging in participatory research, communities in Malawi examined the lack of biodiversity on farms, which resulted in poor soil health, a dependence on fertilizers, and “insufficient dietary diversity.”

In the initial years, researchers helped farmers diversify their crops and introduce trees to boost soil fertility and provide wood for fuel. On an annual basis, the farmers and researchers evaluated the performance of their fields.

Through trial and error, farmers were able to identify new crops that can boost soil health but have rarely been used in sustainable agriculture development. “The new options sparked innovations in management practice so as to enhance perennial features of these crops while maintaining food production,” the authors write.

Read the full article about community-driven science by Elena Seeley at Food Tank.