Can participatory action research foster social learning in communities struggling for land tenure?

In developing countries, especially in Latin America, unequal land distribution and access remain a significant problem. In this paper, we explore the potential of participatory action research (PAR) in promoting the social learning needed to mobilize actions that improve the situation for disadvantaged actors in the context of land tenure conflicts. Our case study was composed by four socio-ecological systems in the north of Misiones province, Argentina, where we combined focus groups, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and social network analysis (SNA) to obtain empirical evidence of social learning at different levels (individual and small group, collective, and system). We evaluated early social learning (e.g. the consolidation of a coordination network of collective actions, the emergence of cooperatives, changes in productive practices) triggered by PAR, according to changes in the actors’ network, both at actors’ nodal metrics and nodal structure levels. Changes in nodal metrics indicated improvements in the connections between actors and in their cohesion level, as well as the empowerment of the most disadvantaged, resulting in more effective interactions for problem-solving and exchange of information. Changes in network structure metrics also indicated favorable conditions for social learning. We argue that our PAR intervention has contributed to these aspects. In addition, we compare the usefulness of different network metrics as indicators of social learning. Future evaluations are needed to analyze which initiatives are consolidated within communities and to better understand the potential and limitations of this approach.