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Sustainability Beyond Extractivism? Insights from Reciprocity and Caring Practices Amongst Regenerative Farmers

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Social Sustainability in Unsustainable Society

Part of the book series: Ethical Economy ((SEEP,volume 67))

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Abstract

In this chapter we are rethinking sustainability in a non-extractivist perspective. Whilst notions of sustainable development and green growth tend to reproduce dynamics of extractivism and mastery in human-nature relations, we analyze how practices based on care and reciprocity are pivotal to enable sustainable relations. To do so we build on a sociology of absence and emergence perspective studying marginalized practices of regenerative farmers in Denmark and Portugal. We analyze practices of care and reciprocity, how practitioners are organizing to enable these practices, and discuss changes in concepts needed to enable such practices. By doing so we draw attention to the need of redefining human-nature relations as a key challenge and starting point for understanding what sustainable economies might be.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Also called green cover or cover crop – plants planted to cover the soil, slow erosion and enhance water availability rather than for harvest.

  2. 2.

    Successional form of agroforestry, aimed to improve soil water and temperature resilience (Damant & Villela, 2018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark

    Anna Umantseva & Jonas Egmose

Authors
  1. Anna Umantseva
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  2. Jonas Egmose
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Correspondence to Anna Umantseva .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark

    Jo Krøjer

  2. Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark

    Luise Li Langergaard

Annexes

Annexes

Table 4.1 Overview of the interviewed farmers
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Table 4.2 Ways of risk lowering among regenerative farmers
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Umantseva, A., Egmose, J. (2023). Sustainability Beyond Extractivism? Insights from Reciprocity and Caring Practices Amongst Regenerative Farmers. In: Krøjer, J., Langergaard, L.L. (eds) Social Sustainability in Unsustainable Society. Ethical Economy, vol 67. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51366-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51366-4_4

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