An evolutionary approach of worldviews to think the transformations of agriculture

In the coming years, agriculture will have to face unprecedented challenges and to transform itself radically. Today already, contrasted solutions are emerging, from 3.0. agriculture to permaculture. In this context, this paper aims to show the interest of an evolutionary approach of worldviews to think the transformations of agriculture. In the first part, a worldview is defined as a structuring system of meaning, informing how humans interpret and co-create reality. Four major types of worldviews have been identified in literature: Traditional; Modern; Postmodern; Integral. Following an evolution approach, these four types can be seen as successive stages of individual and collective development, although no type can be considered as intrinsically better than another. In the second part of the paper, I propose an application of the four types to the agricultural domain. Modern and Postmodern worldviews put an emphasis rather on food security for the first one, and on food sovereignty for the second. The Integral worldview, still very uncommon nowadays, integrates both scientific and spiritual dimensions. The evolutionary approach enables to think differently about agricultural systems technical and organizational transformations, as coevolving with worldviews. It can also be useful to develop self-reflexivity on our own vision, better integrate those of others and engage in mutual transformations. Finally, agricultural systems coexistence can be considered in a constructive, benevolent and committed way.