Skip Bivens speaks with Dr. Markus Frank about his long-term work in Argentina with small-hold farmers in the Patagonia region. Markus situates his work at the convergence of participatory research, agroecological science and social movements.

Markus recently published an article in the Action Research Journal, in the Special Issue on social innovation, which focused on his inquiry into the social impacts of participatory guarantee systems (PGSs). PGSs serve as an alternative form of certification which connote to local consumers that organic and regenerative practices have been utilized in the production of products. This approach results in farmers being paid better prices by local consumers for cultivating higher quality, chemical-free products without having to go through onerous organic certification processes which are often beyond the financial reach of individual small farmers and less relevant when the farmers are far from urban markets.

However, Markus’ inquiry in this particular research is not about the technical mechanisms of the PGS itself, but about the social dynamics that facilitate and enable its success, from the trust that is needed with local consumers, to the expanded roles and identities that farmers themselves take on as these processes take root within local markets. Markus’ work makes visible the social dynamics within innovation, particularly how participatory practices enable the communication of needs and goals between diverse actors in such ways that complex economic processes can be shaped and aligned with local concerns rather than dictated from above.