Teatske Bakker is a systemic agronomist, researcher at the Innovation research unit. She was hosted at the university of Parakou, in Benin, for the past three years. Her research focuses on different aspects of work in farming systems and work in relation to technical decisions in cropping systems. She also studies the development of mechanization and motorization of cropping operations in Africa, and its impacts on farming systems.

Abstract Keynote ISWA: Tackling the question of work from an agricultural systems’ perspective

Work and employment are central concerns in agricultural and food systems. Changes in agricultural systems worldwide, such as automation, mechanization, and agroecological transitions, raise new issues related to work in agriculture. 
In recent years, several scientific communities have explored dimensions of work in agriculture, from different angles: labor markets and rural employment, occupational health and safety, agrarian change and agricultural policy, and work organization. The main disciplines involved have been agricultural and development economics, ergonomics, livestock farming systems, rural sociology and agricultural policy. 
However, this topic has been little explored in systemic agronomy, defined as the discipline studying interactions between pedo-climatic conditions, cultivated fields (including non-cultivated biodiversity), and farmers’ practices. Work is here understood as the interaction between workers and activities within cropping or farming systems. As a science for action, agronomy aims to support farmers through diagnosis, design, evaluation, and advisory functions, requiring the production of actionable knowledge. 
A better understanding of the different dimensions of work (such as organization, duration, and working conditions) and their repercussions on the management of technical systems (cropping system, farming system) is crucial to support farmers as they navigate through major system transitions. To illustrate, several examples related to work and mechanization in West African countries (Ghana, Benin and Ivory Coast) are presented.
Research on the topic of work in systemic agronomy could bring a new perspective to the existing scientific communities of work in agriculture. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches connecting biophysical and social sciences are needed to cover the multiple facets of work in agriculture, to investigate pending questions and to support the exploration of an alternative agricultural paradigm.