Creative teaching methods for imagining the future of technology in farming: storytelling for responsible transitions

So-called ‘agriculture 4.0’ technologies, such as robotics, AI, drones etc., are apparently set to revolutionise farming, helping us to produce more, with less. However, a growing literature from social science disciplines, such as Science and Technology Studies (STS), Sociology, and Transition Studies, illustrates that new technologies have both positive and negative consequences. For the future of farming to be responsible, the consequences of adopting different technologies and practices need to be anticipated. Students at university, who are studying courses related to agri-food systems, are a key cohort that will shape the future of farming. This paper describes the use and refinement of creative teaching methodologies that help to expose students to literature from Science and Technology Studies (STS), particularly on ‘responsible innovation,’ which many agri-food students rarely study. The concept of responsible innovation is important for agri-food students to understand because it enables them to consider the opportunities and risks of different future farming systems, helping to make future trade-offs more tangible. With one main learning objective in mind, to enable students to interrogate the opportunities and risks of agricultural technologies, we shared student-led stories of future agricultural utopias and dystopias, using them as a tool for critical discussion.