Evaluation of Organizational Adaptation Mechanisms to Socio-Ecological Change: A Case Study in an Agrarian Community in South Sulawesi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71435/Keywords:
Institutional Flexibility , Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Adaptive ManagementAbstract
Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the mechanisms through which agrarian organizations in South Sulawesi adapt to socio-ecological changes. Specifically, it investigates how institutional flexibility, the integration of traditional and modern agricultural knowledge, and collaborative networks contribute to enhancing organizational resilience and community sustainability.
Subjects and Methods: The study employed a qualitative case study approach in a selected agrarian community. Data were collected over three months using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. Twenty-five participants were purposively selected, including farmer group leaders, cooperative members, irrigation association heads, traditional leaders, government agricultural officers, and NGO facilitators. Thematic analysis was applied to identify patterns and themes related to organizational adaptation and adaptive management processes.
Results: The study found that institutional flexibility enabled organizations to adjust leadership structures, redistribute responsibilities, and adopt participatory decision-making to address environmental uncertainties such as irregular rainfall and pest outbreaks. The integration of traditional ecological knowledge with modern agricultural practices generated context-specific and culturally grounded strategies that supported productivity and ecological balance. Collaborative networks, both within the community and with government and NGOs, strengthened knowledge exchange, resource mobilization, and coordinated responses to socio-ecological challenges, collectively enhancing community resilience.
Conclusions: The study concludes that flexible organizational structures, hybrid knowledge systems, and strong collaborative networks are essential for sustaining agrarian communities under environmental variability. These insights advance management theory by emphasizing adaptive, inclusive, and network-based strategies, offering practical guidance for policymakers and practitioners seeking to build resilient and sustainable agricultural systems in complex socio-ecological contexts.
References
Acharya, K. K., & Scott, J. (2022). A study of the capabilities and limitations of local governments in providing community services in Nepal. Public Administration and Policy, 25(1), 64-77. https://doi.org/10.1108/PAP-01-2022-0006
Angeon, V., Casagrande, M., Navarrete, M., & Sabatier, R. (2024). A conceptual framework linking ecosystem services, socio-ecological systems and socio-technical systems to understand the relational and spatial dynamics of the reduction of pesticide use in agrifood systems. Agricultural Systems, 213, 103810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103810
Bergström, T., Kuhlmann, S., Laffin, M., & Wayenberg, E. (2022). Special issue on comparative intergovernmental relations and the pandemic: how European devolved governments responded to a public health crisis. Local Government Studies, 48(2), 179-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2022.2039636
Biggs, R., Clements, H., de Vos, A., Folke, C., Manyani, A., Maciejewski, K., ... & Schlüter, M. (2021). What are social-ecological systems and social-ecological systems research?. In The Routledge handbook of research methods for social-ecological systems (pp. 3-26). Routledge.
Bunger, A. C., Yousefi-Nooraie, R., Warren, K., Cao, Q., Dadgostar, P., & Bustos, T. E. (2023). Developing a typology of network alteration strategies for implementation: a scoping review and iterative synthesis. Implementation Science, 18(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-01266-3
Davide, F. (2021). Multi-Stakeholder Digital Collaboration and Social Innovation in Social Services: The Cross Project and the Smart Cities. In Perspectives for Digital Social Innovation to Reshape the European Welfare Systems (pp. 267-294). IOS Press. https://doi.org/10.3233/STPC200016
Haddad, F. F., Ariza, C., & Malmer, A. (2021). Building climate-resilient dryland forests and agrosilvopastoral production systems: An approach for context-dependent economic, social and environmentally sustainable transformations. Food & Agriculture Org.
Hnatyuk, V., Pshenychna, N., Kara, S., Kolodii, V., & Yaroshchuk, L. (2024). Education's role in fostering environmental awareness and advancing sustainable development within a holistic framework. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813492
Levkoe, C. Z., Schiff, R., Arnold, K., Wilkinson, A., & Kerk, K. (2021). Mapping food policy groups: Understanding cross-sectoral network building through social network analysis. Canadian Food Studies/La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v8i2.443
Li, Z., Li, L., & Hui, M. (2024). Fostering green economic growth through sustainable management of natural resources. Resources Policy, 91, 104867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.104867
Liu, J., Zhuang, D., & Shen, W. (2023). The impact of quality management practices on manufacturing performance: an empirical study based on system theory. Soft Computing, 27(7), 4077-4092. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-021-06606-3
Maheshwari, G., Kha, K. L., & Arokiasamy, A. R. A. (2023). Factors affecting students’ entrepreneurial intentions: a systematic review (2005–2022) for future directions in theory and practice. Management Review Quarterly, 73(4), 1903-1970. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-022-00289-2
May, C. K. (2022). Complex adaptive governance systems: a framework to understand institutions, organizations, and people in socio-ecological systems. Socio-ecological practice research, 4(1), 39-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-021-00101-7
McIntosh, O. B., Burnett, A., Feldman, I., Lamphere, J. A., Reuter, T. A., & Vital, E. (2023). The role of sustainability knowledge-action platforms in advancing multi-stakeholder engagement on sustainability. Data & Policy, 5, e33. https://doi.org/10.1017/dap.2023.27
Muhammad, A., Idris, M. B., Ishaq, A. A., & Abdullah, A. K. (2023). The butterfly effect and its implications for resilience in complex socio-ecological systems. Journal of Environmental Science and Economics, 2(2), 38-49. https://doi.org/10.56556/jescae.v2i2.533
Richards, P. G. (2024). The reformed local government system. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003487197
Safarli, A. J. (2024). THE ECONOMICS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: BALANCING GROWTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION. Elmi Əsərlər, 63.
Samford, S., & Breznitz, D. (2022). Mending the net: Public strategies for the remediation of network failures. Social Forces, 100(3), 1333-1356. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soab031
Şenalp, S. Ö. (2023). Exploring Resilience of Socio-Ecological Productive Landscape Through Understanding Change, Impact and Response Among Farmers: The Case of Northwestern Ankara. Middle East Technical University (Turkey).
Steelman, T. (2022). Adaptive governance. In Handbook on theories of governance (pp. 580-591). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800371972.00060
Viglia, G., Pera, R., Dyussembayeva, S., Mifsud, M., & Hollebeek, L. D. (2023). Engagement and value cocreation within a multi-stakeholder service ecosystem. Journal of Business Research, 157, 113584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113584
Yadav, A., & Singh, S. (2024). Environment and development: Balancing progress, preserving the planet and fostering collaboration for a sustainable future. In Learning ‘from’and ‘with’the locals: Traditional knowledge systems for environmental sustainability in the himalayas (pp. 309-324). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51696-2_12
