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humanity. These wisdom traditions include those arising from major world religions
and the vernacular traditions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Wisdom traditions encourage individual transformation from conditions and
conditionalities, advocating a deeper connection with ourselves, with each other,
and with the world around us. Wisdom encourages this larger view of life and
emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things and beings. ‘The value of meditation or contemplative prayer is undeniable and it creates greater acceptance and
spaciousness in our relationship to ourselves and the people and situations we
encounter’ (Bower 2014, p. 7). Meditation fosters the helpful ability to pause in our
response to the world, enabling us to connect with our highest aspirations and make
wiser, more life-affirming choices.
6 Summary and Conclusions
We conclude that personal transformation is required to address ongoing agriculture
and environmental challenges in a changing world. There is a need to include
knowledge and skill development activities that enable personal transformation in
various arenas of development, including agriculture. Personal transformation is
necessary in the current state of affairs, where human wants and greed are becoming
an underlying planetary force, shaping the planet’s future, including the long-term
future of agriculture. Such deeply rooted psychological human dimensions are inadequately linked to the agricultural and environment-related problems that threaten
sustainability. At this juncture of time, what is required most is personal transformation, integrated in all types of education including agricultural development.
Agricultural education and personal transformation should be combined to promote food security, peace-building, and harmony and to balance development with
sustainability.
A number of strategies, policies, partnerships, and investments have been initiated in recent years to put CSA into practice. Despite the few successes of select
initiatives in agriculture, much more work is needed to achieve sustainable
livelihoods and resilient communities in Africa, for individuals and in technical and
political contexts.
Our definition of transformation is a ‘powerful unleashing of human potentials to
commit, care and affect change for better life’ (Sharma 2007; O’Brien 2012) and
implies the same in the context of environmental change and agriculture. In addition, transformation implies change in the way we perceive the world and the systems we have created. There is a need for transformation in ongoing practices, for
example, in the practice of transforming research into policy and actions. However,
without unleashing the human potential to commit, care, and affect change for a
better life (in agriculture or otherwise), any measure taken will be less affective in
implementing environmental and agriculture-related programmes. Wisdom traditions encourage individual and societal transformation, advocating a deeper connection with ourselves, with each other, and with the world around us.
Need for Personal Transformations in a Changing Climate: Reflections…
humanity. These wisdom traditions include those arising from major world religions
and the vernacular traditions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Wisdom traditions encourage individual transformation from conditions and
conditionalities, advocating a deeper connection with ourselves, with each other,
and with the world around us. Wisdom encourages this larger view of life and
emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things and beings. ‘The value of meditation or contemplative prayer is undeniable and it creates greater acceptance and
spaciousness in our relationship to ourselves and the people and situations we
encounter’ (Bower 2014, p. 7). Meditation fosters the helpful ability to pause in our
response to the world, enabling us to connect with our highest aspirations and make
wiser, more life-affirming choices.
6 Summary and Conclusions
We conclude that personal transformation is required to address ongoing agriculture
and environmental challenges in a changing world. There is a need to include
knowledge and skill development activities that enable personal transformation in
various arenas of development, including agriculture. Personal transformation is
necessary in the current state of affairs, where human wants and greed are becoming
an underlying planetary force, shaping the planet’s future, including the long-term
future of agriculture. Such deeply rooted psychological human dimensions are inadequately linked to the agricultural and environment-related problems that threaten
sustainability. At this juncture of time, what is required most is personal transformation, integrated in all types of education including agricultural development.
Agricultural education and personal transformation should be combined to promote food security, peace-building, and harmony and to balance development with
sustainability.
A number of strategies, policies, partnerships, and investments have been initiated in recent years to put CSA into practice. Despite the few successes of select
initiatives in agriculture, much more work is needed to achieve sustainable
livelihoods and resilient communities in Africa, for individuals and in technical and
political contexts.
Our definition of transformation is a ‘powerful unleashing of human potentials to
commit, care and affect change for better life’ (Sharma 2007; O’Brien 2012) and
implies the same in the context of environmental change and agriculture. In addition, transformation implies change in the way we perceive the world and the systems we have created. There is a need for transformation in ongoing practices, for
example, in the practice of transforming research into policy and actions. However,
without unleashing the human potential to commit, care, and affect change for a
better life (in agriculture or otherwise), any measure taken will be less affective in
implementing environmental and agriculture-related programmes. Wisdom traditions encourage individual and societal transformation, advocating a deeper connection with ourselves, with each other, and with the world around us.
Need for Personal Transformations in a Changing Climate: Reflections…