Exploring Participation in Citizen Science for Leadership Identity Development and Food Systems Leadership: A Case Study of Tricot

Abstract

Although participation in citizen science (CS) projects is a viable avenue for encouraging grassroots leadership in agricultural settings, there has been limited research on the impact of CS on the formation of leadership identities and leadership behaviors in food systems. Therefore, this phenomenological case study explored the personal and social experiences of participating in the CS initiative Triadic Comparison of Technologies (tricot) and the implications for the development of leadership identity and food systems leadership among Nigerian farmers. Guided by Leadership Identity Construction Theory (LICT) and Social Identity Theory (SIT), the study explored how tricot participants claimed and were granted a leadership identity, subsequently exercising that identity to develop local food systems. Data were collected from 68 participants across four stakeholder groups: 15 tricot farmers (in-depth interviews), 25 colleagues of tricot farmers (focus group discussions), 22 community and farmers' group leaders (focus group discussions), and 6 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) implementing staff (focus group discussions). Using hermeneutic phenomenology and thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's (2006) approach, the study revealed that tricot participation facilitated leadership identity development through worthiness derived from enhanced occupational competencies and affiliation with legitimate institutions, resulting in leader identity. Farmers claimed leadership identities by recognizing themselves as onímọ̀ (knowledgeable persons) on agricultural matters, while communities granted leadership recognition by ascribing the status of ẹniyàn pàtàkì (important person), offering positional responsibilities, and consistently seeking farmers' advisory services. Implementing institutions' legitimacy facilitated the development of Osun state tricot participants' leadership identities, while community engagement strategies supported it. Additionally, tricot's design for knowledge co-creation, its presence in the community, and its multi-season engagement solidified the leadership identity construction process. Further, the findings revealed that Osun state tricot farmers exercised food systems leadership by: (1) strengthening seed systems via influence; (2) advancing value added products through innovation and teaching (3) building farmers capacity through knowledge sharing; and (4) serving as advocate and bridge between IITA researchers, community leaders, and farming communities through communicating research needs and community needs, and communicating farmer feedback to researchers. Additionally, the study identified several constraints to leadership development, including unmet expectations, gender-related barriers, and farmer-herder conflict. Theoretically, the study extended LICT and SIT to food systems and CS contexts, demonstrating how relational dynamics of identity claiming and granting operate within participatory agricultural development. Empirically, the study contributed to the food systems discourse by highlighting citizen scientists as community leaders in food systems development, while revealing how structural factors, such as cultural context, gender norms, and program design, shape the emergence and strength of leadership identity and food systems leadership. In practice, the findings have significant implications for the design of CS programs that intentionally cultivate leadership.