Introduction to the Dossier.

Technical Knowledge and Family Farming Production: The Social Genesis of Know-How

Abstract

The aim of this Dossier is to move beyond the dichotomous perspectives that have dominated the field: on the one hand, the idea that farmers are merely recipients of modern technologies; on the other, the notion that they are simply bearers of immutable traditional knowledge. Although opposed, both positions share a limited conception of knowledge as the replacement of previous practices, thereby obscuring its dynamic and situated character.

In contrast, it is argued that knowledge in family farming has a social genesis, constructed through the active participation of individuals in communities of practice. In this process, learning does not involve the simple transmission of knowledge, but rather an active appropriation of cultural resources in interaction with the environment. In this way, farmers develop a “know-how” that integrates practical, cognitive, and embodied dimensions, in constant relation with a changing environment.

The concept of environment occupies a central place: it is not a static context, but a dynamic setting that evolves alongside the experiences of individuals. From this perspective, technical skills emerge through practical engagement with the world, in a process where mind and body are inseparable. Likewise, knowledge traditions are neither homogeneous nor stable, but rather historical configurations in continuous transformation, shaped by social relations, power positions, and struggles over legitimacy.

In order to challenge the opposition between technique and technology based on the tradition/modernity dichotomy, agricultural practices are understood as heterogeneous assemblages in which multiple forms of knowledge coexist and are articulated. In this sense, notions such as technodiversity and cosmotechnics are useful for accounting for the plurality of relationships between technology, society, and environment, which are particularly relevant in the context of the contemporary ecological crisis.

Finally, the dossier is organized around three axes: technical processes in institutional settings, historical continuities and discontinuities, and learning processes and technical choices. Taken together, these contributions show that agricultural knowledge is produced within complex networks that articulate human and non-human actors, institutions, public policies, and everyday practices. In sum, family farming emerges as a privileged space for rethinking the production of knowledge beyond simplifying dichotomies, highlighting its relational, situated, and constantly evolving character.