Agricultural knowledge in urban and resettled communities: applications to social–ecological resilience and environmental education

Abstract

In light of globalising trends toward urbanisation and resettlement, we explore how agricultural knowledges may be adapted and applied among relocated people. Although indigenous and related forms of practice‐based knowledge may be temporarily lost as people adopt commercial agricultural practices and switch to non‐agricultural livelihoods, they are capable of resurfacing when contingent opportunities arise. This contribution to the collection draws upon case studies of recollection and application of agricultural knowledge as revealed in narratives from immigrant gardeners in New York, USA, and relocated farmers in Sebakwe, Zimbabwe. In these narratives, the communities draw upon their reserves of knowledge to respond to changes within their local environments. Such knowledge can serve as a source of community resilience through enabling people to sustain their livelihoods and community well‐being, and thus adapt to environmental changes and displacement. We also explore possibilities for applications of such knowledge in environmental education.