Does Social Learning Lead to Better Natural Resource Management? A Case Study of the Modern Farming Community of Practice in Sweden

Abstract

This study investigates whether social learning among large-scale farmers in central Sweden leads to better natural resource management in the agricultural landscape. Three different frames of social learning are first identified: social learning as a fundamental social phenomenon, social learning as collaborative learning, and social learning as deeper learning. This article investigates the role of social learning and other factors through semistructured in-depth interviews. Results show that learning among farmers is inherently social, but that this learning does not necessarily improve natural resource management or lead to better environmental governance. The article discusses when social learning can be expected to influence natural resources management, and finds that without the presence of policy, individual leadership, or facilitation, it is not an important factor. Furthermore, the call for social learning based on results from successful instrumental application risks obscuring findings indicating that both social learning and better natural resource management are conditioned on the same external factors.

Keywords:

• agriculture
• communities of practice
• governance
• natural resource management
• social learning

Acknowledgments

I thank Rebecka Malinga and Regina Lindborg for collaboration on fieldwork and Tom Gill for getting the nuances right in translated quotes used to illustrate the results.

Notes

The complete interview guide can be made available on request.

Objective 16, “A rich diversity of plant and animal life”; objective 13, “A varied agricultural landscape”; objective 7, “Zero eutrophication”; and objective 1, “Reduced climate impact” are linked to management of the agricultural landscape. For more information visit http://www.miljomal.nu/Environmental-Objectives-Portal.