Panel ‘The Dream of Sustainable Agriculture’ a discussion with researchers

Rather than treating sustainability as a managerial problem to be solved, the panel approaches it as a contested social ecology project, shaped by socially constructed human-nature relations, power, labor, memory, and individual experiences. The discussion is anchored in Sürdürülebilir Tarım Hayali: Gül Yetiştiriciliğinin Sosyal Ekolojisi, a recently published book in Turkey about study of rose cultivation in rural Anatolia, which functions as a diagnostic case. Focusing on rose growers’ decision-making, emotional and cultural engagement with land, it reveals sustainability not as a fragile social–ecological relationship shaped by market pressures, state policies, and climate crisis. 

The panel advances three propositions: 

1. Sustainability composes three pillars: environmental, economic and social.
2. Local and traditional agricultural practices are being impacted by how human-nature relations are constructed, top-down policies, land-grabbing and climate crisis.
3. Imagining (“hayal”) a sustainable future for agriculture is not utopian excess, but a necessary political and ecological capacity.

19:15 – Doors open

19:30 – Welcome and introduction by Aurore
19:40–19:55 – Ebru's contribution: Sustainability challenges in rose farming in Turkey (historical background, current situation, sustainability as an imagination challenge, role of stakeholders)
19:55–20:10 – Marie's contribution: Climate change perceptions among farmers and stakeholders, with case studies from Belgium, Italy, and Ireland
20:10–20:25 – Branwen's contribution: Sustainable food systems, indigenous knowledge, and the case of Ghana
20:25–20:40 – Q&A and closing reflections (role of stakeholders, imagination, and pathways to action)
20:40–21:30 – Workshop session