Designing agroecological systems across scales: a new analytical framework

Researchers worldwide are expected to design and develop agroecological systems address major challenges such as increasing biotic pressure climate change. But effective innovations, researchers should integrate new cropping techniques into wider agricultural systems, innovative farms, alternative food or multifunctional landscapes. This integration requires a long process of exploration in which the object under can transform shift different organisational scale. In this article, we wish introduce analytical framework highlighting systemic mechanisms involved scale transformations objects along processes. We conceptualise an non-linear unpredictable four components—a science consortium, non-scientific actors field, problem situation object—interact, co-evolve through time. The their drivers results interactions knowledge flows between these components. was tested further elaborated ex-post analysis processes three contrasting case studies context tropical horticulture. Data were collected literature review, interviews, focus group discussions with Future methods take full account lengthy, non-linear, transformational nature coexistence types knowledge—holistic vs. reductionist, ecosystem focused human-system focused—which interconnect nourish each other.