Understanding rural Do-It-Yourself science through social learning in communities of practice

•This paper explores the meaning and applicability of do-it-yourself (DIY) science in rural societies.•A conceptualization of communities of practice (CoP) based on the habermasian model of communicative action is proposed.•This is illustrated through a case study on rural cattle farmers CoP in Bojonegoro, indonesia.•DIY science is argued to be more useful in rural societies in terms of empowerment and welfare creation. The structural shift created by recent technological developments has resulted in the rise of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) science. Although DIY science has been useful in terms of explicating maker-movements within developed countries, its usage in a rural context is still unexplored. This paper aims to examine the usage of DIY science within a developing country. By using a case study approach, this paper explores how a culture of DIY science is cultivated and spread through a Community of Practice (CoP) amongst rural cattle farmers in Bojonegoro – Indonesia. We propose a conceptualization of CoP based on the Habermasian model of communicative action in order to focus our attention to the cultural production of rural DIY science. We argue that the applicability of DIY science is more valuable, in terms of its usage, in developing countries where such innovation systems are pivotal for development outcomes. By examining DIY science in rural contexts, we also show that its utilization also implies a more settling nuance that emphasizes the positive values of innovation that can ultimately create avenues of empowerment and thus promote welfare creation.