„This thesis is something very special: captivating from the first sentence, with a poetic language, a compelling layout and structure. It is just different from all other master theses we have seen in the committee in the last 10 years.“ – Justification for the award of the Environmental Sciences degree programme, ETH Zurich
(Sorry für den flex, ich freue mich einfach, dass eine so unkonventionelle Arbeit einen Preis gewinnt. Und okay, schon auch, dass meine Arbeit einen Preis gewinnt )
Happy Farming: A Master’s Thesis on Agroecology
What if the solutions for our food system already existed – but we just couldn’t see them? What if they were all out there, and would make both nature and humans happy? What if one of the most important things we’re missing is simply a convincing story?
With this hypothesis, I delved deep into an emerging new paradigm to transform the food system: Agroecology.
Organisations
My work
Drawing from the emerging theories of Resonance (Hartmut Rosa) as well as Transformative Social Innovation, I wanted to give a platform to pioneering projects and the people behind them. In an approach which my professor described as ‚analytical and empathic‘, I documented 10 Swiss agroecological initiatives; and collected and analysed the Narratives of Change as well as the underlying motivations of five pioneering farmers. Finally, to distill the core messages of these Narratives of Change, I organised funding for and worked together with an advertising professional.
In short: I wanted to help tell the story of Agroecology in a more convincing way.
Some impressions from the pioneer farms:
© Nicola Bossard, 2025