The emergence of alternative sociotechnical imaginaries in Argentina’s agricultural sector: lessons for democracy and sustainability

This paper examines the role of sociotechnical imaginaries in the democracy-sustainability nexus. The empirical analysis is based on a qualitative study of how three alternative imaginaries of agricultural production systems, notably agroecology, organic production, and biodevelopment, have emerged in Argentina’s agricultural sector and established themselves economically and politically despite the dominance of the well-established soybean sector. We argue that even in a context of unequal power relations, this has been possible thanks to the country’s democratic institutions. Having a variety of sociotechnical imaginaries rather than just one dominant agricultural imaginary is beneficial for sustainability in social, environmental and economic terms. We, therefore, make two core arguments; first, having a variety of sociotechnical imaginaries strengthens sustainability; and second, democratic structures help to support the emergence and consolidation of multiple imaginaries.