Gemeinsam Wissen schaffen: Citizen Science, Kommunikation und Vertrauen | 5. - 6. Oktober 2026, Berlin

Trust in citizen science (hereafter, participatory science) has often been examined from a science-centered perspective, in which the primary objective is to encourage public confidence in scientific processes or in their outputs. As participatory science expands beyond WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) publics, we need to reconsider how trust operates across encounters between diverse knowledge systems, where science is neither the only knowledge system, nor are its parameters the only definition of goals to be achieved.
This study of a collaboration between farmers and scientists in Peru explores how trust is negotiated at the intersection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Western science. Here, we consider two premises. First, against the paternalistic view of TEK systems as static and fragile, we characterize them as dynamic and adaptive, capable of resisting and transforming themselves and others, through interactions with other knowledge systems. Second, by framing participatory science as a space for engagement between academic institutions and local communities, and by drawing on a concept of engagement as relational learning, we explore trust as a learning outcome of a participatory science project. This perspective encompasses participants’ transformative journeys of understanding themselves in relation to knowledge, institutions, and communities, enabling the reclamation of epistemic agency, the strengthening of belonging, and the renegotiation of the value of local knowledge vis-à-vis external authorities. Under these premises, we reconceptualize trust in the “other” not merely as openness or acceptance of other knowledge systems (in this case, of TEK holders and Western science towards each other) but as the freedom to make visible the dynamics and boundaries of one’s own knowledge system, while at the same time maintaining the integrity of its distinctions.
To exemplify these arguments, we examine a case study: a collaboration in Peru between farmers in the Sacred Valley of the Incas (Cusco) and a transdisciplinary group of scientists investigating the use of bat guano as a traditional fertilizer in maize cultivation. Drawing on interviews, participatory workshops, and ethnographic observations, we analyze how trust develops through interactions across knowledge systems, and how it takes diverse epistemological forms.
This is an ongoing project. Here, we present initial findings from our thematic analysis of interviews conducted with scientists and farmers prior to the start of the participatory science project, with further results expected in Summer 2026 following a second collaborative workshop with farmers. Prior to the first workshop, we identified Limits of Knowledge Systems as Sites of Trust. Farmers expressed trust in scientists, particularly in areas where they perceive their own ways of knowing do not extend. As one farmer noted when asked about their trust in scientists: “Not really…. We already know what needs to be done. Of course, we still do evaluations, but if there’s an analysis (for example, soil analysis), then we have to rely on that analysis” (emphasis added). TEK is primarily based on observation; in areas such as soil chemical composition, where elements cannot be directly perceived, farmers identify their own system limits as a space for trusting scientific expertise.
We also identified Intersections of Identity and Expertise in Visions of Trust. Knowledge systems are embedded in personal and collective identities, shaping how other forms of expertise are evaluated and accepted. As one farmer explained: “I, as a farmer, know … just by looking at the plant … you already understand. It’s not just because someone is an engineer that I’m going to follow what they say. But the exchange is good, because there are many people like me who have demonstration crops” (emphasis added).
Finally, we observed Trust Built within Epistemological Conditions. This means that trust is grounded in each group’s own conditions, with knowledge translated and tested within their respective systems’ parameters while remaining open to exchange. A farmer stated about scientists: “I do listen to them, but besides that, I also run my own experiments…” (emphasis added). Similarly, scientists expressed their intention to bring their own epistemic parameters, such as homogeneity, standardization, and control, as requirements for trusting farmers, parameters that are not prioritized in the farmers’ TEK systems.
These insights represent an initial snapshot of our results. We aim to present both these findings and their evolution for the conference, highlighting how trust emerges when two independent knowledge systems engage in dialogue and negotiation. By moving beyond WEIRD settings, we explore a context where trust takes forms beyond incorporation or assimilation, opening possibilities for more plural and negotiated understandings of knowledge exchange.