Digging for Common Ground : Exploring how Practitioners of Alternative Farming Methods are replicating Principles of Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Abstract: As a result of the harmful environmental practices found within the industrial agricultural system and the various negative accompanied socioeconomic consequences to health, local livelihoods, and resilience of rural communities, there has been an increasing global interest in Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) and alternative farming practices, such as permaculture and regenerative agriculture, that envision a more environment-friendly and equitable food- and agricultural system. At the same time, the potential of Indigenous woldviews and knowledges, such as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), to introduce more environment-friendly land use practices and to reshape our understanding of nature becomes more publicly, but also scientifically acknowledged in the management of natural resources. Yet, there is more need to examine how these knowledges may intersect with and influence practitioners’ values within AFNs. Therefore, this research examines the human-nature relationships of practitioners of alternative farming methods in Sweden by analysing their personal values and interactions with the natural world and explores to what extent participants are replicating and mobilising certain principles of TEK in their local contexts. The main findings demonstrate that participants mobilise various principles found within TEK, such as the understanding of ecosystem dynamics and the interdependencies and interrelationships between humans and non-human elements, the attempt to beneficially coexist with other species and elements found within their local ecosystems, and the desire to reconnect to local landscapes and recuperate traditional knowledges. The research agrees with studies in the current de-growth and embeddedness literature that have recognised the potential transformative power of a more holistic approach in addressing climate change and the various initiatives and grass-root movements that are guided by alternative approaches to sustainability. The study contributes to the existing literature by directly analysing the specific values and practices of practitioners of alternative farming methods and comparing them to TEK. In this way, the research is of direct importance to other researchers who want to further investigate the potential commonalities between Indigenous and Western land use practices and to initiate in particular action with regards to the relationships of humans to nature and a transformation of our current food system.