AGROECOLOGY lab

Profile & curriculum

MSc in Bioengineering, Agricultural Sciences (2005-2010) 

Centre de Développement Agroforestier de Chimay – EU Projet “Trees in field” (2012-2013)

Science Shop: www.boutiquedesciences.be (2013)

PhD student (2013-present)

Research interests

• Characterizing farmers’ trajectories, practices system and logics

• Understanding barriers hampering agroecology development in Wallonia

• Providing insights that would facilitate transition towards agroecology at farm level

• Characterizing two key agroecological practices in Wallonia: feed autonomy and agroforestry

• Sensing the leveraging impact of farmers’ social capital and social learning into transition towards agroecology

Research project

During my doctoral research, I collected life-story narratives of Walloon farmers, shared their daily routine and their professional meetings, in order to deeply explore their trajectories, their practices system, theirs discourses and their social network.

Building on my agronomist’s background I have undertaken a transdisciplinary approach, a challenging but required posture to explore the lock-in effect hampering agroecological innovation at farm level (and beyond). Social capital of farmers rather quickly emerged as one leverage for agroecology development, so that my research specifically focuses on innovation networking and social learning in Walloon agriculture.

​

This research project, together with my involvement into transition dynamics at different levels (farming, research, civic), allows me to better grasp the systemic barriers impeding the needed socio-ecological transformation of our society, as well as the levers for accelerating it.

Three key publications

- Louah L, Visser M, Blaimont A & De Cannière C, 2017. Barriers to the Development of Temperate Agroforestry as an Example of Agroecological Innovation: Mainly a Matter of Cognitive Lock-in?. Land Use Policy 67: 86-97.

- Louah L & Visser M, 2016. Q Methodology as a tool for fostering multi-actor innovation networks performance. In IFSA Symposium 2016. Newport, UK: International Farming Systems Association.

- Louah L, Baltazar S, Delobel V & Visser M, 2015. Changements de postures du chercheur, de l’agriculteur et de l’enseignant pour l’innovation agroécologique paysanne. Pour 226 (2): 5-10.