Attentiveness and agroecological transformation: soils as participants in peasant-to-peasant learning

Abstract While the role of non-human nature in agroecology has been widely examined at the level of farm practice, its contribution to movement building and broader societal transformation remains underexplored. Drawing on scholarship on attentiveness and more-than-human affect, this article examines how encounters with soils can mobilise agroecological change beyond individual farms. Based on participant observation and interviews with agroecological farmers participating in peasant-to-peasant soil gatherings in the Netherlands, we analyse three interrelated dimensions of attentiveness: noticing, sensing, and nourishing responsibility. Microscope-based encounters with soil organisms fostered shifts in farmers’ perceptions of soils as vibrant and agentic more-than-human participants rather than passive resources, motivating collective learning and experimentation. Embodied sensing practices supported adaptation in everyday farming practices, while collective reflection within peasant-to-peasant gatherings enabled farmers to challenge productivist values, legitimise experiential knowledge, and address structural constraints such as insecure land access. We argue that social movements play a crucial role in amplifying the transformative potential of attentiveness by embedding affective encounters within collective learning networks and political organising. The article contributes to scholarship on agroecological and food systems transformations by showing how non-human lives participate not only in farm ecologies but also in processes of movement building and socio-ecological transformation