Ensamblando formas de ver y hacer transdisciplina transformando sistemas alimentarios a través del diseño.

Abstract

Responding to the call to preserve and/or transform our food ecosystems to secure life unequivocally requires a transdisciplinary approach. Although the term transdisciplinarity has been linked to design for more than four decades, it is currently vaguely
debated in design – especially absent design curricula. It is not surprising then, that the term generates multiple ambiguities and concerns. In fact, as an academic term, transdisciplinarity is understood in multiple ways, which refer not only to how to describe
or carry it out, but also about who the agents and protagonists are, and the types of knowledges that are articulated or generated. The way in which we approach defining and practicing transdisciplinarity implies a series of values that nourish it and, ultimately, shape a specific paradigm or worldview. This deep dimension inevitably defines the types of practices and knowledges that are
amassed to make up what we later call actions, thoughts and feelings within food design. To avoid turning it into a buzzword emptied of meaning, it is essential that we clarify what we mean by transdisciplinarity in our practice and our theorizing, particularly when
we work with the goal of shaping plural worlds that enhance life. This reflection essay will debate some of the key ideas linked to transdisciplinarity by presenting a conceptual review of ways of understanding and practicing it. It will be exemplified with a case of
a transdisciplinary process anchored in the Latin American Southern Cone with the intention of inspiring other actions from fellow food designers.