Sustainable Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers in Developing Countries: A Commons-Based Approach to Organic Transition and Expansion

Purpose: This study explores the possibilities and implications of socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable agriculture by examining a case of commons-based organic transition and expansion among smallholder farmers in developing country. Originality: Agriculture and food systems are both severely impacted by the climate crisis and, at the same time, major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, the approach of adopting and expanding the commons as a form of social practice within communities is increasingly recognized as a vital pathway toward ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and food. Methodology: Focusing on the Peermade Development Society (PDS), a smallholder organization in Kerala, India, the research employs qualitative case study methods including fieldwork and document analysis. Result: Findings highlight that the success of sustainable agriculture hinges on a worldview that integrates humans and natural resources as a whole, the empowerment of smallholders through participatory democracy and self-determination, and the co-evolution of social capital through the practice of commoning. Conclusion and Implication: The case of PDS demonstrates how smallholders, in response to the challenges of conventional agriculture, environmental degradation, globalization, and the climate crisis, have voluntarily organized and adopted organic and climate-friendly farming practices. These processes embody the dynamics of coming such as commonization, de-commonzation, and commons networking. By reinterpreting agriculture and food systems not merely as commodities but as a commons—make common—this study underscores the potential of commons-based local practices and global solidarity as key drivers for sustainable agri-food systems.