Why participatory plant research now?

Abstract

In the current polycrisis era, plant science, particularly when applied to agronomy, becomes instrumental: because our main substantial and renewable resource is plant biomass, many future solutions will depend on our ability to grow and transform plant material in a sustainable way. This also questions the way we conduct plant research and thus quantitative plant biology. In response to the increasing polarization between science and society, participatory plant research offers a pertinent framework. Far from moving away from quantitative approaches, participatory plant research builds on complexity associated with biology and situated knowledge. When researchers and citizens work together on societal issues, such friction becomes more fertile, quantitative questions become more complex, societal issues are addressed at their roots and outcomes often exceed that of top-down strategies. This article serves as an introduction to this ongoing bifurcation in plant science, using plant breeding as a key example.