title: Linking knowledge and action through mental models of sustainable agriculture.
abstract: Linking knowledge to action requires understanding how decision-makers conceptualize sustainability. This paper empirically analyzes farmer "mental models" of sustainability from three winegrape-growing regions of California where local extension programs have focused on sustainable agriculture. The mental models are represented as networks where sustainability concepts are nodes, and links are established when a farmer mentions two concepts in their stated definition of sustainability. The results suggest that winegrape grower mental models of sustainability are hierarchically structured, relatively similar across regions, and strongly linked to participation in extension programs and adoption of sustainable farm practices. We discuss the implications of our findings for the debate over the meaning of sustainability, and the role of local extension programs in managing knowledge systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; and Lodi Winegrape Commission, Lodi, CA 95242.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; and mnlubell@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lubell
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; and.
authors.forename: Vicken
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hillis
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D001519:Behavior; D002140:California; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D019359:Knowledge; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011336:Probability; D027843:Vitis / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: agricultural decision making; collaborative policy; cooperation; network analysis