Bachelor thesis in Political science Department of Political Science
Seeds of sustainability?
A case study on agricultural
sustainability perceptions among
small-scale farmers in the Manyara
region, Tanzania.
Abstract
Agricultural policies worldwide are giving an increased focus to the goal of sustainable agriculture, but there are still uncertainties around how this is performed and achieved. As small-scale farmers are a fundamental part of agricultural production worldwide, earlier scholars request deeper understanding of how these farmers perceive sustainable agriculture and how they perceive the pathway towards sustainability. In Tanzania, many small-scale farmers choose to participate in initiatives and organizations under the Organic Farming Movement. By focusing on small-scale farmers that have joined an organic initiative in the Manyara region in Tanzania, this study aims to interpret how these farmers perceive that joining the Organic initiative of a local seed trading system could contribute to sustainable agriculture for them. The study's theoretical approach was a framework where agricultural sustainability consists of an ecological, economic, and social dimension and that normative assumptions of sustainability can be divided into either an Environmentalist or Ecologist approach. Through an open-ended question survey, ten local farmers' perceptions of
agricultural sustainability were collected. The result indicates that the farmers perceive that the local seed trading system to some extent will contribute to parts of all three dimensions of agricultural sustainability, and that normative assumptions in both Environmentalism and Ecologism can be identified within the farmer's answers.
Acknowledgments
This study was planned to be performed in the Manyara region in Tanzania through the opportunity of a Minor Field Study (MFS) distributed by the Swedish International
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ... 4
1.1 Aim and research questions ... 6
1.2 Delimitations ... 6
1.3 Definition of central concepts ... 6
2. Background ... 7
2.2 Tanzania: agricultural situation and policies ... 7
2.3 The Organic Farming Movement ... 10
2.4 The characteristics of the Manyara region and MOFI ... 12
3. Previous research on the field ... 13
3.1 Defining Agricultural Sustainability ... 13
3.2 Different normative assumptions of the pathway towards sustanability ... 14
3.3 Organic agriculture's potential contribution to sustainable agriculture for small-scale farmers . 15 4.Theory ... 17
4.1Green political theory ... 17
4.1.1 Environmentalism ... 19
4.1.2 Ecologism ... 20
4.4 Operationalization ... 21
5. Method and materials ... 23
5.1 Qualitative approach ... 23
5.2 Research design ... 24
5.3 Open-ended question survey ... 24
5.4 Respondents... 27
5.5 Method of analysis ... 27
5.6 Ethical aspects ... 28
6. Results: Answers given by the small-scale farmer to the survey... 28
7. Analysis ... 30
7.1 Aspects of sustainability ... 31
7.1.1 Environmental sound practises ... 31
7.1.2 Economic efficiency ... 32
7.1.3 Social adequate conditions ... 33
7.1.5 Summary of the perceived agrological sustainability ... 34
7.2 Normative assumptions of sustainability ... 34
8. Conclusion ... 36
9. References ... 38
1. Introduction
In 2019 actors on the global food governance stated that 820 million people in the world are suffering from hunger and malnutrition (FAO et al, 2019, 3). Within the United Nations (UN) resolution on Sustainable development goals there is an aim to reduce the number of people who suffers from hunger to zero by the year of 2030 (UN 2015, 15). A combination of factors such as the increasing growth of the human population and the reduction of cultivated land available for agricultural production following climate change and over depleted soils, indicates that there is a possibility of a future increase of people suffering of hunger rather than a decline (Evans 2009 ,7., Charles et al 2010, 812-17). Following these challenges, the global food governance has understood that the agricultural production needs to produce higher yields simultaneously as its ecological impacts need to shrink, though so called
sustainable agriculture (Clapp 2017, 335., Foley et al 2011, 337). Most agricultural policies
are now consisting the goal of sustainable agriculture, but how this goal is to be reached are still highly contested and uncertain (Campbell and Fairweather 2003, 287., Clapp and Scott 2018, 4). To create truly sustainable agricultural policies Green et al (2016, 1412) McGuire and Sperling (2016, 192) and Msafir and Mkonda (2017,14) argues would be through reflecting farmers’ own perspectives on sustainable agriculture and what support they need for it. In this argument they highlight small-scale farmers, that makes up a major portion of the total agricultural producers in the world and often are under hard and variating farming conditions, as especially important.
In Tanzania, the policies on agriculture that previously mostly were concerned with the transformation towards higher agricultural productivity and higher yields to implement food security for their growing population are today also including the goal of sustainable
agriculture (Chasukwa et al. 2020, 1). As in many other countries, agricultural policies are in Tanzania so far, mostly dominated by the norm of liberalization of agricultural trade to achieve this goal (Clapp 2017, 335., The United Republic of Tanzania 2016, 3., 22). Opponents to the current polices argue that small-scale farmers who make up most of the country’s agricultural sector, and are a major part of the Tanzania food security, are not getting enough recognition and support in current policies (African Research Bulletin 2018., De Groote, Lyimo and Muruma 2014, 656., Msafir and Mkonda 2017,14). At the same time, a growing number of Tanzania’s small-scale farmers are joining the Organic Farming
agricultural products (DEVCO 2018). Small-scale farmers are argued to gain agricultural sustainability from joining the Organic Farming Movement, for example, through income increase, avoidance of dangerous chemical fertilizers and improved health. Still, in countries like Tanzania, organic agricultural production exists side by side with high levels of poverty and malnutrition (Elzakker and Parrot 2003, 19). Bakewell-Stone, Lieblein, and Francis (2008, 23) argue that to understand if joining an Organic organization contributes to sustainable agriculture for the farmers, there needs to be more information collected on the relationship between organic agriculture and the farmer's perception of what it provides to for them. Gutheman (2000, 265) argues that one cannot let the farmers choice to be a part of an Organic organization explain what their perception of sustainable agriculture is or what sustainable benefits they draw from being a part of the organic organization. Farmers who join an Organic organization can, according to Gutheman, be devoted to either the values of ecological preservation or being motivated by the economic benefits that can come from getting an organic certification as the demand for organic products grow.
1.1 Aim and research questions
This study aims to interpret how small-scale farmers perceive that joining the organic initiative of a local seed trading system contributes to sustainable agriculture. The following research questions are asked:
(I): What aspects of sustainability do the small-scale farmers perceive coming from joining the organic initiative?
(II) What is the small-scale farmer's normative approach to agricultural sustainability?
1.2 Delimitations
Following the limited time for conducting the study, as well as the limitation of possibilities for the research when preformed from Sweden, it only focuses on the specific case of the small-scale farmers in the Manyara region who have chosen to be a part of the local seed trading system created through MOFI. Even if the focus is on farmers who have joined an organic initiative, the study does not seek to develop a general understanding of farmers who participate in the overall Organic Farming Movement. The study only aims to create more in-depth knowledge for the scale farmers within the specific case for the study, not small-scale farmers in general.
1.3 Definition of central concepts
• The Organic Farming Movement:
A global social movement with shared values and goals that sets the principles for how Organic Agriculture is performed.
• Manyara Organic Farming Initiative (MOFI):
A local organization in the Manyara region that is a part of the Organic Farming Movement.
• Organic Initiative:
Projects or chores that are created and performed by the Organic Farming Movement or organizations (like MOFI) that are part of the Organic Farming Movement. The local seed trading system put up by MOFI is thus considered to be an Organic initiative.
• Organic Agriculture
Agricultural methods and practices under the principles of the Organic Farming Movement, such as working in balance with nature and not using chemical fertilizers. For example, using locally produced seeds instead of improved seeds that need inorganic fertilizers is considered a method of Organic Agriculture.
2. Background
To place this study in its context, a brief overview of Tanzania’s agricultural situation and current policies will follow. After that, there will be a look into the Organic Farming
Movement to understand its principles and what impact it has on agriculture in both Tanzania and on a global scale. Following that study involves farmers in the Manyara region that have joined the local seed trade of MOFI, there will be a closer look into the characteristics of the region and MOFI as a local organization and their goal for the local farmers and agriculture in the area.
2.2 Tanzania: agricultural situation and policies
Tanzania lies on the east coast of sub-Saharan Africa. Following the country's climate
growing economies in the word, it is still home to about 13 million people living in poverty (Globalis 2018., Kledal and Kwai 2010, 111). Among these people who live in poverty, the majority are small-scale farmers in rural areas. According to the Tanzanian Government, small-scale farmers have a farm size of around 0.9-3.0 hectares of agricultural land. The agricultural sector and connected jobs make up for about 75 percent of the employment in the country, making the government describe the agricultural sector as the "foundation of the Tanzanian economy" (United Republic of Tanzania 2018).
Tanzania gained independence from its colonial rule in 1961 and the year after Julius Nyerere was elected prime minister under Tanzania's new republic constitution (MFAD 2020). In the 1980s, the government started directing their politics toward a market economy (Cooksey 2011, 59). The idea of an open market economy is reflected in Tanzania's polices for
Agricultural development. The Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP) is made up of ASDP I that run from 2006-2013 and ASDP II that enrolled after 2013 and continues to 2025. The policies of ASPD has the aim of higher agricultural production as well as
commercialize smallholder to improve their income and livelihoods (ASDP II, 2018). ASDP II has been performed side by side with the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) that the government launched in 2010. This policy put a focus on agricultural development through attracting private sector investments and commercialize farmers. Through a public-private partnership, the policy aims to ensure food security and reduce poverty through economic development (UNDP 2013, 3). As most of the labour force in Tanzania comes from small-scale farming, the government sees it as essential to modernize this sector to increase yields and productivity. In 2016 the second of Tanzania's Five-Year Development Plan (FYDPII) was published, focusing on facilitating the business environment and infrastructure to reduce poverty and human development (The United Republic of
Tanzania 2016,3., 22). Tanzania's economic planning and policies are argued not to favour the small-scale farmers enough, considering they are the foundation of the country's food security (African Research Bulletin 2018., MFAD 2009).
programmer; the private sector; certifiers; NGO’s and Smallholder farmers, which the latter is lifted to have the most to gain or lose from changes within the food system.
At the same time as Tanzania's politics took a turn towards a market economy in the 1980’s, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) were also allowed to start operating in the country (Kledal and Kwai 2010, 111). A big portion of these NGO’s started to educate farmers on sustainable agriculture as well as they started collecting information on indigenous
agricultural knowledge. A platform for policy development in Tanzania started to form with the rising interests and demand of organic food products from Europe and North America, which lead to that the Kilimo Hai Tanzania (KIHATA) in 1995 was established. KIHATA is a national association for developing and promoting organic agriculture in the country. After a growing need to unify the exporter, producers, and all the NGOs working with sustainable agriculture, the Tanzanian Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) formed in 2005. TOAM have with other actors such as the Agricultural ministry and certification bodies developed
The National Organic Agriculture Development Program for Tanzania, which has the
political purpose of creating a national policy on organic agriculture (Kledal and Kwai 2010, 111-112).
Tanzania is one of many countries on the African continent with both growing amounts of cultivated land used for Organic agriculture as well as a growing recognition of Organic Agriculture by policymakers. In 2018 the African Organic Conference in Dakar in Senegal between farmers, politicians and business entrepreneurs from 30 countries came to the common understanding that ecologic and Organic Agriculture are important in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals as well as goals within the the African Unions agenda 2063 (Kemper, Lernoud and Willer 2019, 28).
2.3 The Organic Farming Movement
The Organic Farming Movement is based on a holistic worldview of working together with nature through respecting the needs of both environment, animals, and humans. From these goals, the four fundamental principles for the organizations have been formed, which is: ecology, fairness, health, and care (Brul et al. 2013, 4). These have been created by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), which is the global organization advocating for the benefits coming with organic agriculture. IFOAM emerged in 1972, intending to bring sustainability to agricultural production around the world. In the beginning, IFOAM had members in five different countries; today, it has grown to consist of members from over 100 countries (IFOAM.bio).
The Organic Farming Movement started by people who wanted to solve problems that they saw within agricultural production, such as declining crop varieties, ecological damage, and rural poverty. The movement also was a strong voice of criticism for the use of modern farming technologies as inorganic fertilizers and Genetically Modified Seeds (GMO). The Organic Farming Movement perceives the biotech companies with their GMO and improved seeds as seeking single-factor solutions for increasing agricultural yields (Kuepper 2010, 2-5). The practices, values, and ideas held by the Organic Farming Movement have not only gained a lot of recognition by among farmers but also the public, politics, and by policymakers (Vogt 2007, 9., Sbicca 2018). For example, the opinion against GMO's can be seen reflected in the decision of when 28 of the European countries in 2015 decided to ban all GMO foods from their markets (Coghlan 2015).
by human activity and the increasing concern about the adverse effects on human health and the environment from the use of inorganic fertilizers. As the public opinion against inorganic fertilizers grew, the demand for Organic products rose among consumers as these are
produced without inorganic fertilizers (Lockrets 2007, 5). An issue that starts to gain increased public attention and opinion, which the Organic Farming Movement and its
resistance towards pesticides were doing, are by Zürn (2018, 139) defined as politicized. The politicization can, according to (Breitmeier et al. 2020, 5), serve as fuel to the normative preferences for relating organizations. The spread of the core narrative of the Organic
Farming Movement against the use of modern technologies such as inorganic fertilizer, gene-modified seeds (GMO's), and the domination of big seed companies (Kuepper 2010, 12) can be found to have raised such popularity within the public opinion at that it even put marks in pop culture. This, as Neil Young, wrote an album titled "The Monsanto Years: the promise of the real." This album contains lyrics that include the Organic Farming Movement's core narratives. It lifts critique against Monsanto, GMO's, and their need for inorganic fertilizers (Young 2015); Monsanto is often criticized by the organic farming movement (Bouchie 2002, 210).
"The farmer knows he's got to grow what he can sell, Monsanto, Monsanto So he signs a deal for GMOs that makes life hell with Monsanto, Monsanto
Every year he buys the patented seeds
Poison-ready they're what the corporation needs, Monsanto". (Young 2015)
As organic products' demand rose, organic certification emerged to reassure the consumers that the products they bought were in fact produced after organic standards (Kuepper 2010, 10). There are about 2,9 million organic producers around the globe, and most of these producers are found in Asia and Africa. Simultaneously, the consumption of organic products takes place mostly in Europe and North America (Kemper, Lernoud, and Willer, 2019, 26, 29).
As this study will focus upon farmers who have joined the action of one Organic
2.4 The characteristics of the Manyara region and MOFI
The Manyara region is in the north part of Tanzania (Picture 1). It is one of the areas in the country that are leased urbanized. The region also has one of the fastest population growth
rates in Tanzania (Manyara region
investment guide 2019, 10). There are about 200 000 agricultural households in the Manyara region, out of which about 30 percent are involved in only growing crops. Agriculture is like in the rest of the country, the sector in which most earn their
livelihoods. In the Manyara region, it is the agricultural production of crop farming that
is the most prominent economic activity. Most households have ranked annual crop farming as providing the most cash income among agriculture activities (National Sample Census 2012, 5). Small-scale farmers have an average farming size on 3 hectares, bigger than the national average on 2 hectares (National Sample Census 2012, 5). In 2017, the region's population was estimated to a bit over 1,5 million inhabitants (Manyara region investment guide 2019, 10).
The Manyara Organic Farming Initiative is a non-profit organization based in the Manyara region. They aim to build an ecological and resilient food system in the area through Organic Agricultural practices. MOFI's work has so far revolved ten villages around the region where they have formed ten groups that consisting of 20 local small-scale farms each. In these ten villages, one farm has been elected to become a "Learning Centre." In these Learning centres, they can develop a place for exchanging information on organic techniques and link together the organic network in the region. In the future, MOFI aims to reach out to a larger group of farmers than the initial farmers in the ten start-up villages, and MOFI hopes to connect the local farmers to the global organic movement. They also plan to hand out organic certificates to the farmers who join MOFI and adapt to Organic Agriculture standards. On two of the learning centres, there are also plans to have information about greenhouse techniques. It is on these Learning centres that the seed trading takes place (Hertwig 2019, 67).
The decision to start up the local seed trading systems is based on the understanding that local seeds are under threat to disappear following big transnational seed corporations growing presence in the country. These seeds are improved, or modern, meaning that they need inorganic pesticides and fertilizers to grow. According to MOFI, the local farmers of their region cannot afford these modern seeds and their requirements. MOFI has decided to collect the remaining examples of local seeds to study, create a seed bank, and start producing local seeds on the farms that join MOFI to create a parallel seed trading system on the region's learning centres (Loiske 2019).
3. Previous research on the field
In the following chapter, there will be a presentation of what previous research has been done around the subject of sustainable agriculture and how different normative approaches perceive the pathway to sustainability. After that, earlier scholars' concussions on the sustainable aspects of small-scale farmers joining an Organic Initiative will be reviewed.
3.1 Defining Agricultural Sustainability
The most commonly used definition of the term sustainability is from Our common future report, where it is described as a moral obligation for an ecological, social, and economic development that: “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs” (UN 1987, 16). This moral obligation of sustainability
for both the present and future world is today a global and politicized assumption
and moral obligation of sustainable agriculture are to be reached (Clapp and Scott 2018, 1., Lang and Barling 2012, 313., Mockshell and Kamanda 2017, 127).
Sustainable agricultural embraces the Brutland definition of social, ecological, and economic development, which according to Mockshell and Kamanda (2017, 132-134), are through:
1. Environmental sound practices: this concern the use of water, land, and other natural resources, preservation of biodiversity, and the use of fertilizers
2. Economic efficiency: which concerns the cost of inputs, agricultural productivity, and farmers income
3. Social adequate conditions that concern livelihood improvement, preservation of knowledge, land ownership, and equity for present and coming generations. But there are variating normative assumptions about how Economic efficiency, Environmental sound practices, and Social adequate conditions are to be achieved in agriculture, which will be reviewed in the following chapter.
3.2 Different normative assumptions on the pathway towards sustainability
The normative assumptions on how sustainable agriculture can be reached are, according to Horlings and Marsdsen (2011, 441), divided into the approach of Week ecological
modernization and Strong and ecological modernization. Both approaches agree that sustainable agriculture comes from the development of environmentally sound practices, economic efficiency, and social adequate conditions. Still, they view the path towards these developments in different ways. Weak ecological modernization assumes that the economic dimension of agricultural sustainability is reached through; corporatization; an orientation towards productivity and higher yields; a cost-size squeeze on agriculture; export-oriented and technological development that comes from economic growth. This approach's ecological dimension is through; Technological, environmental solutions, ecological and genetic
engineering. The social dimensions are achieved through Scientification, agricultural
employment, and rational human-nature relationships. The economic dimensions for a Strong ecological modernization instead consist of Agricultural and food networks, putting more value to the farming level, a more integrated food production, and local resources. The
Ecological dimensions are for this approach gained through Argo-ecological principles; being flexible and adaptive to different ecological places, and the social dimension through
Numeyer (2010) also finds a general divide in sustainability approaches in what he calls Strong sustainability and Weak sustainability. The Strong sustainability approach builds on a normative assumption that puts a value on nature itself, which cannot be replaced with human-invented forms of capital. Thus, sustainable development for this approach is mostly focused on preserving nature and the environment. The Weak Sustainability approach is instead more focused on economic growth and sees sustainable development be to add to the value of the capital stock for future generations. Conover et al. (2010, 46) find that normative assumption does not only reflect one's norms. In their article, community-based, altruistic, and pro-environmental behaviours are correlated to existing pro-environmental norms among the person's social context and relationships. A social group or context was found to impact beliefs, values, and preferences towards sustainable behaviour instead of only personally developed normative assumption of sustainability.
Dobson (2016, 38) defines normative approaches to sustainability as depending on whether one assumes that sustainability will come from radical or reformistic changes in society's current state. A radical approach puts most value into preserving the environment and ecology, which he calls Ecologism. If sustainability is assumed to be reached within current institutions through minor reforms where one puts most value into economic development, he calls Environmentalism. These two sustainability approaches are among scholars of Green political theory, the two most common divisions within the theory of normative assumptions of sustainability (Ball 2003, 536., Barry, 2014,1., Dobson 2007, 2).
3.3 Organic agriculture's potential contribution to sustainable agriculture
for small-scale farmers
Glasbergen, Offermans, and Ibnu (2018, 360) are in their article perceiving that the small-scale farmers who join a farming organization that can hand out certifications to their agricultural products could benefit from economic and social development. The economic growth comes from more market opportunities that are listed to be: Cost saving through
as improved education, access to public facilities such as sanitation and clean drinking water,
improved health and housing, and a strengthened relationship among community members.
Glasbergen, Offermans, and Ibnu (2018, 387) conclude that those small-scale farmers who join a farming organization are perceiving more of these benefits than unorganized farmers. Farmers who get a certification on their agricultural products get more of these benefits than farmers who do not have certification. Their article does not look at small-scale farmers who join an organization under the Organic Farming Movement or that get an Organic certificate but at farmers who take part in farming organizations on general and overall certificates on agricultural products.
Organic agriculture has also been argued to contribute to farmers' ecological sustainability (Brul et al. 2013, 8). The environmental benefits are party from increased biodiversity in the farmers' cropped fields and the natural areas. It also increases the diversity of the soil by allowing a higher number of organisms to live there. By not using inorganic fertilizers, the soil and surrounding get less polluted, which benefits the farmers through that their soil gets higher water carrying capacity and lowers the risk of soil erosion, which are argued to protect drought and other extreme weather conditions. The farmer's health is also argued to be
improved by avoiding inorganic fertilizers (Brul et al. 2013, 8). Joining the organic farming movement is also listed to benefit the farmers through local development. Organic
Agriculture creates local development following that it is a more diverse practice than conventional farming. It thus needs more people who manage the production, raising the employment status in the area. It also makes it easier for young people and women in an area to take part in agricultural production as the economic inputs are lower. It is also safer for farming families to manage their agricultural production following health improvement when no inorganic fertilizers are used (Brul et al. 2013, 10). Bakewell-Stone, Lieblein, and Francis (2008, 23) argue that there are many perceived benefits for farmers that produce according to the Organic Farming Movements standards but can vary among farmers.
(Campbell and Fairweather 2002, 292-295). Gutheman (2000, 265) however, argues that one cannot let the farmers' choice of being a part of an Organic organization explain what their perception of sustainable agriculture is. Neither what sustainable benefits they draw from it. Gutheman is in this argument, acknowledging that there is variation within the motives for Organic agriculture among the farmers who join the Organic movement. This is between farmers who are charing the Organic Farming Movement's values and ideals, such as ecological conservation, and those farmers directed towards the possible economic benefits. As the demands for certified organic products grow in the west, getting an organic
certification can for the farmer mean that they can take part in the export and trade with their products. Farmers who choose to join an organic movement can thus do that without sharing the same normative assumptions as the Organic Farming Movement on sustainable
agriculture, but still, choose to be under the organic regulations.
4. Theory
This study's theoretical framework is based upon what earlier scholars have found on what sustainable agriculture includes and what a normative approach to sustainability can be. The theoretical assumptions are:
(I) Sustainable agriculture includes the three dimensions of economic, ecological, and social development. And that agricultural sustainability is achieved when each of these dimensions is prioritized.
(II) It is a general distinction in the normative assumptions on the path towards sustainability between either an economic or ecological focus. Green political theory is, together with earlier scholars' conclusions, used as the study's overall theoretical framework. This following that the theory is based on the three dimensions of sustainability and has formed the two normative assumptions into the theoretical approaches of: Environmentalism and Ecologism.
4.1 Green political theory
scholars. An with Barry (2014, 1) arguing for it to be the best term as it allows for
understanding for also the intra-human relationships within the theory and not only human-nature relations. The Green political theory will be the name used in this study. Green political theory is also the preferable name following that the analysis and discussion will be upon different normative approaches within the theory defined under Environmentalism and Ecologism, which with the use of one of the other names, could be confused with the overall theory. Ball (2003, 536) writes that even if Green political theory, as other political science theories have various sub-groups with variating approaches, the overall theory has some core assumptions. A central understanding of Green political theory is that our sustainability is facing a combination of crises that are threatening both the human and non-human world (Ball 2003, 536., Barry 1996, 35). Another key aspect of the theory is that human activities cause these crises. An underlying reason for our destructive behavior toward the planet is our focus on only human happiness and well-being while not counting in nature's well-being. The rest of the non-human world has not been given a value (Ball 2003, 536). Green political theorists thus draw the perception of the world further than other contemporary theories as it gives nature and the other parts of the non- human world its own value (Dobson 2007, 15; Vincent 2018, 183).
A central aspect in Green Political Theory are according to Carter (1994, 4) the global food industry and with that the agricultural production. Dobson (2000, 94) even describes
political theory different sub-groups and approaches that gives the normative assumptions of the theory different meanings (Ball 2003, 536). The most common distinctions made by earlier scholars of Green political theory are, as earlier mentioned, between Environmentalists and Ecologists who are two different theoretical approaches of normative assumption of sustainability (Dobson 2007, 2., Barry, John, 2014 1).
4.1.1 Environmentalism
Sustainability is with an environmentalist approach achieved within the structures and institutions of the current system. Sustainable development is thus expected to be brought from mechanism within the current order (Carter 1999, 26). Dobson (2016,
38) defines the approach as: “Environmentalism argues for a marginal approach to
environmental problems, secure in the belief that they can be solved without fundamental changes in present values or patterns of production”. Barry (2014, 1-2) also defines
Environmentalism as mostly focused on ‘singe-issue’ environmental problems. Some scholars of Green political theory would argue that Environmentalism per se cannot be described as an own theoretical approach of Green political theory. This since Environmentalism can be viewed as just adding an environmental concern to existing politics (Barry 2014,1., Carter 1994, 311). In this study, Environmentalism will be treated as a theoretical approach within Green political theory. This following the description by Carter (1994, 311) on that
Environmentalism is far more than just a touch of concerns for the environment upon existing politics. Looking at policies that have been discussed in reformists-green groups Carter (1994, 309) finds ideas around how greener technologies would be a solution to stop
An environmentalist approach to sustainability is thus in this theoretical framework a concept that includes the normative assumptions of that agricultural sustainability are reached through the adopting of more greener technologies and views economic development as a significant driver for sustainable development, this as it allows for both the possibility of new
technologies to develop as well as it can support development through subsidies.
4.1.2 Ecologism
Dobson (2016, 38) defines ecologism as:
“Ecologism holds that a sustainable and fulfilling existence presupposes radical changes in our relationship with the non-human natural world, and in our mode of social and political life”. Thus, this approach to Green political theory sees sustainable development
coming from radically changing the existing political system and institutions. Ecologism is also seen as bringing up broad environmental concerns rather than being a “single-issue” problem (Barry 2014, 2). Humanity must turn away for the market-oriented norm of continuous economic growth instead of focusing on sustainable alternatives (Carter 1984, 310). Ecologism is more focused on the intrinsic value of nature, meaning that it has its own value and, therefore, should be preserved. According to ecologism, preservation of the environment should not come from if it has a value to humanity. It is also carrying the normative assumption that instead of separating humans from nature, we need to see ourselves as a part of nature. These normative assumptions of the intrinsic value to nature make ecologism see the path towards sustainability with most focus on environmental
protection through ecological sustainability (Carter 1984, 338). What Horlings and Marsdsen (2011) found to be a normative assumption within the Strong ecological modernizations of agricultural production and Nummeyers definition of Strong sustainability, are within this study’s theoretical framework argued to be a part of an Ecologist approach to agricultural sustainability. This following that the Strong ecological modernizations included the
builds on the normative assumption that puts value on nature itself and thus cannot be replaced with a human-invented form of capital, and thus, sustainable development means to preserve nature and the environment (Neumeyer 2010).
An ecologist approach to sustainability is thus in this theoretical framework a concept that agricultural sustainability comes from putting more value in nature itself and thus as an ecologically focuses approach where we need to be more a part of nature than exclude ourselves from it.
4.4 Operationalization
To interpret how the small-scale farmers, perceive that joining the organic initiative of a local seed trading system contributes to sustainable agriculture, this study will operationalize the concept of agricultural sustainability. This through identifying the three dimensions of ecological, economic, and social development in what the small-scale farmers perceive that joining the local seed trading system created by MOFI contributes to, this study will try to identify if there is a perception of contribution to agricultural sustainability or not. Only if all three dimensions are perceived coming from joining the local seed trading system is a
perception of agricultural sustainability. This will be operationalized through the categories that previous researchers and the theoretical framework for the study have found are included in the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of agricultural sustainability. The
ecological dimension in agricultural sustainability consists of environmental sound practices, the economic dimension in agricultural sustainability consists of economic
efficiency, and the social dimension in agricultural sustainability consists of Social adequate conditions (Mockshell and Kamanda 2017, 132-134). The concepts of environmental sound practices, economic efficiency, and Social adequate conditions that will be used to identify the ecological economic and social dimensions of agricultural sustainability are extracted from the categories that Brul et al. (2013, 8), and Glasbergen, Offermans and Ibnu (2018, 360) and Mockshell and Kamanda (2017, 132-134) found that the three different dimensions can consist of. These concepts are summarised and presented in the table below (Table 1).
Environmental sound practices
Economic efficiency Social adequate conditions
-Protection of nature
- Preservation of water, land,
-Income increase
-Improved yield/ agricultural
-Increased Biodiversity - Fertile soil
-Less pollution
- Affordable farming inputs, and /or other options of saving money
- Access to a bigger market for their products through
certification
-Education/ preservation of knowledge
-Strengthen relation among community members - Equity for present and coming generations
Table (1) the concepts of Environmental sound practices, Economic efficiency, and Social adequate conditions that will be used to operationalize the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of agricultural sustainability. To interpret what the small-scale farmers normative approach of how agricultural
sustainability is reached, the study will operationalize the theoretical assumption of a
distinction in normative assumptions between one who either have a more economical focus (Environmentalist) or ecological focus (Ecologism) on what drives sustainable development. These will be operationalized though the normative assumptions on what contributes to sustainable development that green political theorists and previous researchers have defined them with. These normative assumptions within the two normative approaches are
summarised in the table below (table 2).
Environmentalism (economical focus) Sustainable development comes from:
Ecologist (ecological focus) Sustainable development comes from:
- Development of new and greener technologies -Economical inputs/growth of economical capital -Reformistic changes of the institutions in society -An orientation towards higher yields
- Prioritizing preservation of nature -Giving nature its own, intrinsic value -Seeing humans as a part of nature
-Radical changes of the institutions in society
Table 2. the normative assumptions within the two normative approaches to sustainable development
5. Method and materials
In the following chapter there will be a presentation of the study’s methodological approach as well a presentation for how the research questions were answered.
5.1 Qualitative approach
To fulfill the study's aim, it was of relevance to structure it along with a method that allowed the focus to be mainly on the interpretation of how the small-scale farmers preserved the that joining local seed trading system brought about agricultural sustainability. A qualitative approach can, even if some variations may occur, be characterized by having the focus upon the interpretation of the social environment by the participants in it (Bryman 2018, 454). For qualitative research, Ahrne and Svensson (2018, 25) write that credibility criteria are of importance. Bryman (2018, 467) describes credibility as including reassuring that the rules of research have been followed, which the study attempts to fulfill by being as transparent as possible. Also, the people whose thoughts, ideas, experiences, or views of the world that have been interpreted in the study should be given the possibility to reflect on the result of the study to make sure that the researcher has interpreted it correctly, which can be called respondent validation (Bryman 2018 468). This part was more problematic for the study to fulfill following the timespan, the distance, and that the contact was not made directly with the respondents. Instead, this aspect of credibility is met with the use of triangulation, where the results were sent back to the person who has been in direct contact with the respondents to double-check that the interpretations are reasonable. By doing so, the result is not only
understood by the theory and method but also in combination with the person who is familiar with the surroundings, language, and norms of the place that the respondents come from (Bryman 2018, 468). The critic that has been lifted against qualitative studies is their lack of fulfilling generalizability criteria (Ahrne and Svenson 2018, 26). But according to Vromen (2018, 243), the possibility of generalizability is rarely the case for a qualitative study.
Thus, a qualitative approach that allows for interpreting the case as one specific case of farmers, and not as farmers in general, a qualitative approach is suitable (Bryman 2018, 455).
5.2 Research design
The design of this study is structured as a case study. Vromen (2018, 243) defines a case study design to allow the researchers to investigate one specific case of interest, which is often the focus of a qualitative approach. Bryman (2018, 96) sees a case within this design as consisting of a part of a society, an organization, a person, or an event that a case study design attempts to investigate in detail. The case of interest in this study is the small-scale farmers in the Manyara region that have chosen to participate in the organic initiative of the local seed trading system arranged by MOFI.
5.3 Open-ended question survey
aspects of using a survey are that it reduces the chance of a relation or connection to be developed between the researcher and respondents, which, according to Bryman (2018, 65), can lead to that the researcher starts to feel sympathy for the respondents, which can affect or be reflected in the study. Other positive aspects of a survey are that it is both cheaper and faster to administrate than interviews. It is also easier to adjust after the respondent's needs as it can be answered at a time and place that fits the respondent best (Bryman 2018, 288-289).
The survey consisted of six questions to collect the perception of sustainable agriculture among the farmer (attachment 1). The survey was constructed to let the respondents answer as freely as possible and without being too affected by the questions asked. This through open-ended questions where each question had an answering space on about half a page each. The first three questions asked about their general perception of why they chose to join the organic initiative and the differences between the organic agriculture practice of using local seeds instead of the modern seeds. Question number four and five were more directly asking about the specific themes that interested the study (economic and ecological) in ensuring that some answers on these subjects where collected. These two questins where put late in the survey to not affect the answers given on the first three questions. The last question of the survey wanted to collect normative reflections on preserving the local seeds for the future.
Ahrne and Svensson (2018, 34) write that there is a beneficial way to construct the questions for an interview first after research on the subject and writings on the study's introduction parts. This is to make sure that the researcher has enough knowledge of the subject to know what questions are relevant for the study. But, as a consequence of the planed journey to Tanzania was canceled at the last minute, the questions had to be developed in the beginning stages of the time period set for the study. This was to reassure that there would be time for some answers to be collected through a contact person's help and sent back to me within the time span for the study. This showed, as Ahrne and Svensson (2018, 34) argued, that the questions of the survey maybe were not the beast fitted for collecting necessary information of the farmers' perception of what sustainable agriculture consists of and what normative assumptions they have. When the questions were formulated at the beginning of the study period, they were written to not affect the farmers in their answers to much. But by understanding more about the normative assumptions that there are for sustainable
normative assumptions that were found among earlier researcher instead of just assuming that the answers by the farmers would consist of evidence for what norms they have.
When getting a better understanding of the field, it was also shown that that normative assumption could come from more than just one's own normative approach. This since a normative assumption can be formed through that issue being politicized, which Breitmer et al. (2020, 5) have found can fuel normative preferences for organizations that are relating to the issue. Conover et al. (2010, 46) also understood that a person's normative assumption of sustainability is affected by and reflects the normative assumptions of sustainability from other actors within their social context. The farmers' normative beliefs are then probably influenced by, for example, the growth of the organic farming movement in Tanzania. Also, by that, MOFI is active in their local surroundings that hand out organic agricultural practices and their benefits. But as the questions were handed out before these realizations were made, the questions could not be changed to investigate further these aspects of what forms the normative assumptions that the farmers have.
The survey was not sent directly to the respondents. Instead, they were handed out through the help of Mwanahamisi Hussein, who functioned as a contact person throughout the study and distributed the survey to respondents. The survey was sent through email to
Mwanahamisi Hussein, who printed out the survey and handed it out to the respondents. The answers were then scanned and emailed back. Following the distance between Umeå in Sweden and the Manyara Region in Tanzania, it was of great help for the study that
Mwanahamisi, located in the Manyara region, helped with the distributions. By the presence of Mwanahamisi, the respondents' risk not understanding a question, which has been
5.4 Respondents
In total, ten respondents answered the survey. The respondents were all local farmers in the Manyara region active in the new local seed trading systems at MOFI’s learning centers. Mwanahamisi Hussein, being involved in MOFI herself with access and knowledge about what farmers are engaged in the seed trade, facilitated contacting the respondents. That the study got help from a person engaged in the organization that offers the local seed trade makes it relevant to consider how this can affect the study. Bryman (2018, 190) writes that it can be of interest for a person who is engaged in the organizations to make sure that the image is perceived as good as possible. This can lead to the respondents being selected by those who are most flattering to the organization instead of what is of interest. The risk of this possibility harming the survey was partly limited as the study was expected to be distributed to farmers who are positive to the seed trading system.
This following that the aim was to understand the preferences for sustainability among small-scale farmers that have chosen to participate in an organic initiative.
5.5 Method of analysis
Ahrne and Svensson (2018, 11) write that a qualitative analysis approach is interested in themes and terms that are mentioned and what meaning the respondents give them. The answers from the surveys were transcribed into a new document where the respondents' answers were put together. This made it easier to analyze the answers through the identification of recurring themes of agrological sustainability. The themes for what
sustainability dimensions they perceived to come from joining the local seed trade's organic initiative were the variating concepts that the three dimensions had been operationalized to include (see table 1).
5.6 Ethical aspects
Following the Covid-19 pandemic situation, there were extra important that the contact person in the field and the respondents didn't meet up to survey if there were a risk or them being worried about the spread of Covid-19. Following that is globally spread pandemic, it is arguably difficult to make sure that there is no risk involved for people meeting up. Thus, there was ongoing contact with Mwanahamisi in the Manyara region to reassure that there was no need for any surveys to be answered if any worries were surrounding, handing them out, or answering them. Research can never be performed within a moral vacuum and will arguably always have to consider what can be done within the study to limit eventual
discomfort or harm caused for the people it involves. The basis for an ethical aspect of a study involves questions about integrity, anonymity, confidentiality, and participation based upon free will (Bryman 2018, 176, 189).
An attempt to follow these ethical aspects has been made in the study by a short informational text at the beginning of the survey (Attachment 1). The information included a brief
description of the study's aim, following ethical requirements on details for the participant in a survey, to make sure that they could decide not to participate if uncomfortable about the subject. However, the description was only vague about the interest of the study to not affect the answers given (Barry 2018, 170, 176). The short text also informed that participation overall was voluntary (Attachment 1). No personal information was collected since it was not of the need for the study's aim, which facilitates the aspect of confidential protection of collected personal data (Barry 2018, 170).
6. Results: Answers given by the small-scale farmer to the survey
A summary of the answers given to the survey will be presented below to provide the reader with an overlock of how the farmers answered the questions (see attachment 1)
Reasons for joining the local seed trading system at MOFI's learning centres were
than products that have been grown with chemicals." Being a part of the local seed trading
system was also attractive as it "Simplifies the life of a farmer" through being a cheap way to gain access to seeds and gain more knowledge and a better understanding of local seeds. The local seed trading system was seen as beneficial as it contributes to good health, It preserves nature, here mentioned as "Preserve communities' natural resources of land and forest," and increases household incomes as it provides the possibility to use "farming techniques." without any cost." It also contributed to the education of the community's understanding of benefits from not using local seeds and avoiding chemicals in agricultural production. Having access to the local seed trading system also was an assurance for the farmers that they would have access to seeds during the farming season.
On the question of what differences there is between using local seeds and seeds from bigger corporations one aspect that was lifted by almost all the respondents was that seeds bought from big corporations provided a higher yield than local seeds. Local seeds where described as having a low harvest, and that they took a long time to grow while market seeds could be harvest quicker. These differences the farmers saw coming from that market seeds required chemical fertilizers while they do not need to use chemical fertilizers when growing locally produced seeds. It was also mentioned that corporations’ seeds need chemicals not only as fertilizers when the seeds had been planted in the ground to ground, but also to conserve the seeds if needed to be saved for a longer period of time. Local seed where described as the cheaper option as the bigger corporations’ seeds are a big cost to afford for the local farmer. Another difference mentioned between the two seed varieties was that local seeds are
healthier and that the products of local seeds tasted good and tasted better when cooked. Big corporations’ seeds where not seen to bring any health assurance.
Another difference mentioned between the two seed varieties was that local seeds are healthier and that the products of local seeds tasted good and tasted better when cooked.
Positive effects are mentioned for the soil as it will not be polluted when using the organic method of no chemical fertilizer and which maintains the soil's fertility. The avoidance of chemicals is also referred to as "environmental pollution" and that it has been noticed that living things have benefited a lot since its absence. Bees are described as one organism that benefits from using locally produced seeds as the flowers that grow from these seeds are better for these pollinators than taking pollen from flowers that have been grown from seeds with chemicals for their pollinating process. Natural resources are also mentioned to be preserved as an effect of using locally produced seeds, as well as land will be preserved better for the future. More generally, nature and environment are also described to be protected, preserved, and more secure.
Access to locally produces seeds are described as important for the community as it would bring it more capacity building and fertile soils. To secure access to these seeds, the
respondents see an important role in educating the community members on the importance of local seeds. If more members of the local community could be teched or aware of benefits on their health, the environment, and the soil, they would also start taking part in the local seed trade, which would help to secure access for the future. Books are mentioned as necessary to be printed so that community members can read about these benefits, which are mentioned could be afforded through sponsors.
7. Analysis
In this chapter, the analysis of the results is presented. The ambition for the analyze is to answer the research questions that are asked in the study, that is:
(I) What aspects of sustainability do the small-scale farmers perceive coming from joining the organic initiative?
(II) What are the small-scale farmers' normative approach to agricultural sustainability?
7.1 Aspects of sustainability
The first part of this analysis will answer the first question; (I)What aspects of sustainability do the small-scale farmers perceive coming from joining the organic initiative. This will be done through the theoretical understanding that agricultural sustainability consists of three dimensions: Environmental sound practices, Economic efficiency, and Social adequate condition. This will be operationalized through a thematic analysis of the answers that identify if the farmers mention the three different agricultural sustainable dimensions. The analysis themes are the categories included in the three dimensions of agroecological sustainability (See table 1).
Environmental sound practices
Economic efficiency Social adequate conditions
-Protection of nature
- Preservation of water, land, and other natural resources -Increased Biodiversity - Fertile soil
-Less pollution
-Income increase
-Improved yield/ agricultural productivity
- Affordable farming inputs, and /or other options of saving money
- Access to a bigger market for their products through
certification
-Health improvement -Community development -Education/ preservation of knowledge
-Strengthen relation among community members - Equity for present and coming generations
Table (1) the concepts of Environmental sound practices, Economic efficiency, and Social adequate conditions that will be used to operationalize the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of agricultural sustainability.
7.1.1 Environmental sound practises
The thematical analysis of the concepts of environmental sound practices among the farmers' answers to the survey found several of these concepts were mentioned. The farmers'
responses are in the analysis interpreted as perceived that joining the Organic initiative of the local seed trading system lead to "environmental protection," "preserve the nature," and "natural preservation," which can be identified as different terms of the concept of protection
of nature. The protecting or perseverance of nature was seen coming from joining MOFI's
in connection to the Preservation of water, land, and other natural resources, this when analyzing the answers as he farmers mentioned in the direct terms "preservation of natural resources" as a coming from avoiding chemical fertilizer, which was described as natural resources of land and forest. The farmers did not mention water or other forms of resources.
As the farmers described that bees and other living organisms are benefiting from the absence of chemical fertilizer, there is also an indication that they perceive that the concept of Increased biodiversity is included coming from the joining the organic initiative of the local seed trading system. The concept of Fertile soil was identified in the answers in connection to it being less polluted by chemicals. Less pollution was thus identified in the answers, which, like the other concepts, were mention in relation to the avoidance of chemicals in their agricultural production.
7.1.2 Economic efficiency
The thematic analysis of the answers given to the farmers' survey upon the concepts that belong to Economic efficiency found that the farmers perceive that joining the local seed trading system created by MOFI, in general, contributes to increasing their incomes. The farmers described how there is a "high market demand" for products that are produced from local seeds without the use of any chemical fertilizers, which they benefit from if they produce these demanded products. In this aspect, joining the local seed trading system is perceived as contributing to this by securing access to these local seeds and providing the option of agricultural production without chemicals that they can sell on the l markets. The concepts of Income increase are thus a concept that is found within the farmer's answers. Party the concept of access to a bigger market for their products through certification are mentioned as they do see joining the local seed trading system as providing them the option of producing products that there is a demand for at the market, but in the most answers given they do not describe what market that they mean when they describe a "high market demand." When there is no description of what market demand they mean, this analysis cannot interpret if this is meant the global demand for organic products that Glasbergen, Offermans, and Ibnu (2018, 360) writes about in connection to the part of the "bigger market." The farmers do not either mention an organic certification, so it is impossible to analyze if they perceive if joining this organic initiative would connect them to the demand for organic products through
market is mentioned where there is a demand for these products following as their taste and assumptions of health benefits.
Joining the local seed trading system created my MOFI is not mentioned by the farmers to contribute to higher yields; instead, they see the use of local seeds as producing lower, and slower-growing yields than modern seeds and chemical fertilizers are. The perception of the lack of the concept Improved yield/ agricultural productivity is mostly mentioned to the question where they are asked to describe the differences between using local seeds instead of modern seeds. Even if there seems to be a shared perception that the local seed brings lower yields, this does not seem to inflict on their perception that joining the local seed trading system and gaining access to the local seeds would contribute to an economic downturn for them. They do still perceive their income to increase from joining the local seed trading system. It allows for them to be able to use cheaper farming methods and avoid the chemical fertilizer's that they describe as being an expensive option. The concept of Affordable farming
inputs and other saving money options are thus too found within this analysis of the farmer's
answers to the survey.
7.1.3 Social adequate conditions
The thematic analyse of the answers given to the survey of the farmers upon the concepts that belong to Social adequate condition (se table 1) showed that the farmers perceive that joining the local seed trading system put up by MOFI contribute to the social dimension of
agricultural sustainability. This through the that they perceived that this led to more health for them and their community from the production of both testier and healthier food when they don’t need to use the chemical fertilizers, they do then perceive that the concept of Health
improvement are brought about. They also see community development come from the local
community members or equity for present and coming generations in the answers given by the
farmers that the analyse could identify.
7.1.5 Summary of the perceived agrological sustainability
The analysis showed that they perceive that joining the local seed trading system created by MOFI contributes to some extent, all three dimensions of agroecological sustainability. This as several of the concepts within the dimensions of Environmental sound practices, Economic efficiency, and Social adequate could be identified within the perception of what the organic farming initiative contributed to for the farmers and their community. The perceived
categories of the sustainable agricultural dimension that were found among the answers were: protection of nature, preservations of natural resources in the form of land and forest,
increased biodiversity among pollinators such as been and “other living organisms,” fertile soils, income increase coming from being able to sell products that there was a high demand for at the local markets, and affordable farming inputs through not needing to buy inorganic fertilizers which also contribute to health improvement and tastier foods, aspects of
community development were also mentioned and to some extent it were perceived to lead the possibility for education opportunities.
The short and remarkably similar answers given by the farmers to the survey were not possible to analyse the responses further than just identifying the concepts within the three dimensions that existed in the answers. To interpret what the missing concepts meant for the farmers, and if there are any of the three dimensions that joining the local seed trading systems contributes to more with, the analysis could not interpret as there was no basis for those interpretations within the answers given.
7.2 Normative assumptions of sustainability
The analysis of what normative assumptions the small-scale farmers have for how agricultural sustainability is reached was made from the theoretical understanding of the
Environmentalism (economical focus) Sustainable development comes from:
Ecologist (ecological focus) Sustainable development comes from:
- Development of new and greener technologies -Economical inputs/growth of economical capital -Reformistic changes of the institutions in society -An orientation towards higher yields
- Prioritizing preservation of nature -Giving nature its own, intrinsic value -Seeing humans as a part of nature
-Radical changes of the institutions in society
Table 2. the normative assumptions within the two normative approaches to sustainable development
The thematical analysis showed that the answers provide little basis for making any direct interpretations of the normative assumption among the farmers that could lead to the understanding of either an Environmentalist approach an Ecologist approach. However, the thematic analyses provided the interpretation that the small-scale farmers did not share the normative assumptions within an environmentalist approach to sustainability through
an orientation towards higher yields. This, as the farmers all argued that the usage of locally produced seeds and the avoidance of chemical fertilizers lead to both slower and lower yields for their agricultural production. On a global scale, the current agricultural production
partners are within Green political theory defined by the norms from the green revolution in the 1960s. These norms are to use available cultivated land for as high production as possible (Carter 1994 4). The analysis could then also identify that these current patterns in society that aim for as high production as possible were not found to be augmented for by the local
farmers. Instead, the choice of using locally produced seeds was understood as bringing low yields. Even though the respondents described this as a difference between locally produced seeds and seeds developed by bigger corporations, they still preferred the use of locally produced seeds. The normative assumption among the farmers could then indicate on
assuming that there is a need for changes within the current patterns of agrological production to one where the main goal is not the highest yield possible. But the farmers' answers
consisted no basis for interpreting if this should be thought of as either an assumption of radical changes within current patterns of production or reformist change. The concepts of Economical inputs could be identified to connect to their idea of farmers that books needed to be printed. This, as the farmers who mentioned the need for books as an alternative, saw this as being afforded by sponsors' economic input. The farmers did mention nature,
method of local seeds and avoidance of chemicals, which can indicate of a normative
assumption of the concept of the importance preserving nature found within Ecologism. But if the importance of preserving nature comes from the normative assumption that it should be done because of its intrinsic value were not a theme that could be identified in the answers. The concept of seeing humans as a part of nature was in the analyze of the answers found in the of assumption of the farmers to not use chemical fertilizers as these have a negative effect on nature, and thus it could be perceived as farming methods should work as a part of nature instead separating us from it. But as it has been mentioned previously, the answers are once again provided little basis for the thematic analysis to determine whether the perceived found themes of normative assumptions actually could be identified. An economic approach to sustainability could be found through the concept of growth in capital stock; the farmers found that an increase of the farming families' economic assets was perceived to lead to community development as more money among the farmers led to the creation of new businesses and improved living condition.
The interpretation of what the farmers' normative assumptions of sustainability were limited following that the answers provided little basis for drawing developed analytical
interpretations. However, the understanding of the farmers' normative assumptions on the pathway towards agricultural sustainability partly consists of some normative assumptions of the general economic focus within Environmentalism, and they seem to share some
assumptions of an ecological focus within Ecologism.
8. Conclusion
This study aimed to interpret how small-scale farmers perceive that joining the organic initiative of a local seed trading system contributes to sustainable agriculture. This was done through the theoretical understating that agricultural sustainability consists of three
