Sense of Biodiversity: Invisible Knowing in (Dis)Appearing Farming Landscapes (BIOSENSE)

Description of the granted funding

Techno-scientific agricultural practices have led to land degradation, habitat loss, and species extinction. BIOSENSE examines the often-overlooked role of farmers' sensory engagement with farming landscapes in safeguarding biodiversity. Focusing on boreal climates, the project combines sensory ethnography with biodiversity assessments to study 10 small-scale farms in Finland, Norway, and Canada. It explores how farmers use their senses to engage with plants, soil, animals, microbial life, and weather conditions, and how this sensory knowledge is developed, shared, and passed down through generations to maintain multispecies landscapes. By introducing new, emplaced methods for studying and safeguarding biodiversity, BIOSENSE provides tools that enable farmers to respond to changing environmental conditions. It repositions biodiversity as a critical priority and offers novel insights into understanding and preserving life on Earth in the face of global challenges.
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Starting year

2025

End year

2029

Granted funding

Galina Kallio Orcid -palvelun logo
889 785 €

Funder

Research Council of Finland

Funding instrument

Academy research fellows

Decision maker

Scientific Council for Social Sciences and Humanities
17.06.2025

Other information

Funding decision number

368351

Fields of science

Other social sciences

Research fields

Yhteiskuntatieteellinen ympäristötutkimus