KatAWARE the game. A rol-playing game to support local multi-stakeholder negotiations around water management in the Kat river valley

This report illustrates a Role Playing Game (RPG), which is being developed within the Water Research Commission (WRC) project "A stakeholder driven process to develop a Catchment Management Plan for the Kat River Valley", hereafter quoted as "the Kat River project". The RPG is called KatAWARE, like the multi-agent model (Farolfi-Bonté, 2005 and 2006) that backs it. The RPG is being developed within an iterative and participatory process called Companion Modelling ¿ ComMod (Farolfi and Rowntree, 2005) aiming at co-constructing the multi-agent model KatAWARE and at the same time facilitating discussions and common decision-making around water management within the Kat River Water Users Association (WUA). The report is organized in four main chapters: the first chapter illustrates the position of the RPG in the ComMod process and its relations with the KatAWARE model; the second chapter looks at the main features of the RPG; the third chapter presents some outcomes of the first RPG session played at Fort Beaufort in November 2005; the last chapter concludes and defines the way forward. (Résumé d'auteur

Developing and playing a Role-Playing Game in the Kat River Valley: KatAware. Reflexions on the process : WRC Project n° K5/1496

Within the Water Research Commission (WRC) project: "A stakeholder driven process to develop a catchment management plan for the Kat River Valley", the Companion Modeling (ComMod) approach (Barreteau et al, 2003) was adopted to help the local Water Users Association (WUA) in the task of defining a Catchment Management Plan (CMP) for the Kat River Valley. Two platforms, a multi-agent model named KatAWARE (Farolfi and Bonté, 2005; 2006) and a Role-Playing Game (Farolfi, 2006), were constructed in conjunction with local stakeholders through the ComMod approach. This document reports on the use of the Role-Playing Game (RPG) KatAWARE developed through the ComMod process. It must be underlined that this report does not provide guidelines on how to play the KatAWARE RPG, as this information is contained in Farolfi (2006). Rather, more general considerations on the opportunity to use a RPG within the studied context and more in general the importance of RPG in participatory research and Companion Modelling projects is discussed. The following chapters refer to the Kat River ComMod experience; nevertheless some lessons learned during the described case study could be generalized to other possible applications in South Africa or elsewhere. The document is organized as follows: Chapter one recaps quickly the main characteristics of the KatAWARE RPG in its two versions; Chapter two illustrates the outcomes of the second session of the RPG played with the Kat River WUA in March 2006; whilst chapter three concludes and provides recommendations. The appendix provides some technical information on how to install and operate the KatAWARE model that backs the RPG. (Résumé d'auteur

Agricultural Technology Adoption and Land Productivity: Evidence from the Rice-Prawn Gher Farming System in Bangladesh

Rice-prawn gher (RPG) farming system is an indigenous agricultural technology solely developed by farmers since mid 1980s. The present study aims to estimate the land productivity of modern varieties (MV) paddy production under RPG and (year-round modern varieties) YRMV paddy farming systems in the southwest Bangladesh. The RPG farming system has significant impacts on inputs used in MV boro paddy production. The findings of the study indicate that more chemical fertilizers were used in per ha MV boro paddy production under YRMV paddy farming in comparison with RPG farming. Similarly, per ha cost of irrigation, pesticides and land preparation were also higher in MV boro paddy production under YRMV paddy farming system compared to RPG farming system. The inputs usage for MV boro paddy production under two farming systems showed statistically significant difference with each others. Although fewer inputs were being used in MV boro paddy production under RPG farming system, yield was higher (statistically significant) than YRP MV paddy farming system. Therefore, it could be concluded that land productivity of MV paddy production under RPG farming system was significantly higher than YRMV paddy farming system. The TFP of MV boro paddy production was higher in RPG farming system compared to YRMV paddy farming system. Moreover, the TFP varied widely within the farms between the two farming systems.Rice-prawn gher farming, year-round MV paddy farming, land productivity, Farm Management, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

The Effect of the Radial Pressure Gradient in Protoplanetary Disks on Planetesimal Formation

The streaming instability (SI) provides a promising mechanism for planetesimal formation because of its ability to concentrate solids into dense clumps. The degree of clumping strongly depends on the height-integrated solid to gas mass ratio Z in protoplanetary disks (PPDs). In this letter, we show that the magnitude of the radial pressure gradient (RPG) which drives the SI (characterized by $q\equiv{\eta}v_K/c_s$, where ${\eta}v_K$ is the reduction of Keplerian velocity due to the RPG and $c_s$ is the sound speed) also strongly affects clumping. We present local two-dimensional hybrid numerical simulations of aerodynamically coupled particles and gas in the midplane of PPDs. Magnetic fields and particle self-gravity are ignored. We explore three different RPG values appropriate for typical PPDs: $q=0.025, 0.05$ and 0.1. For each $q$ value, we consider four different particle size distributions ranging from sub millimeter to meter sizes and run simulations with solid abundance from Z=0.01 up to Z=0.07. We find that a small RPG strongly promotes particle clumping in that: 1) At fixed particle size distribution, the critical solid abundance $Z_{\rm crit}$ above which particle clumping occurs monotonically increases with $q$; 2) At fixed Z, strong clumping can occur for smaller particles when $q$ is smaller. Therefore, we expect planetesimals to form preferentially in regions of PPDs with a small RPG.Comment: 10 pages, submitted to ApJ

Participatory simulations of competing aquacultural and agricultural land uses in bac lieu province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Rice and black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) are produced in coastal area of the Mekong, Vietnam under different patterns depending on biophysical and social economic conditions. In the north part of Bac Lieu province in the Mekong Delta, competitions for land used among these farming systems have been appeared. Rice and shrimp rotation farming has been gradually encroached by shrimp monoculture due to its higher economic return. Monoculture of shrimp in a large scale however would hardly reach sustainability. This study aims to make explicit the criteria used by local producers in choosing their land use. To collectively discuss about these criteria and to build a common understanding of this complex agro-hydro system, we have been using role-playing games (RPGs). Three RPG sessions have been organized in three selected villages in Bac Lieu coastal province in the Mekong Delta (i) to understand the competition of land used between rice and shrimp production at a village level; (ii) to understand decision making of farmers under complex biophysical and socio-economic conditions. By playing their own role during a RPG session, local farmers are embedded in participatory simulation. Following the companion modeling approach, the next methodological step will consist in implementing an agent-based model to formalize the shared representation that was built during RPG sessions. Local farmers are then expected to be comfortable in following and discussing computer simulations as they will be able to relate the "agent-based simulations" to what they have experienced as participants of "players-based simulations" (the RPG sessions). (Résumé d'auteur

A cross-genre study of online gaming: player demographics, motivation for play, and social interactions among players

One key limitation with the contemporary online gaming research literature is that much of the published research has tended to examine only one genre of games (i.e., Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Three relatively little studied online games are First Person Shooter (FPS) Games, Role Play Games (RPG) and Real Time Strategy (RTS) Games. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine player behaviour and characteristics in these three different online gaming genres. More specifically, the study examined the differences between the three different game genres in terms of: (i) the demographic profile, (ii) the social interactions of players including the number and quality of friends, and how gaming related to real life friendship, and (iii) motivations to play games. The sample comprised 353 self-selected players (156 who played FPS, 119 who played RPG and 78 who played RTS). The RPG genre had the highest percentage of female players. The number of hours played per week varied significantly between the genres. RPG players played significantly longer hours than FPS or RTS players. In relation to playing motivation, achievement levels were highest for the FPS genre with RPG genre having the lowest achievement levels RPG players had the highest immersion levels. RTS players were significantly less likely to report having made friends than players of the other two genres

From Experience to Experiments in South African Water Management: Defining the Framework

A role-playing game (RPG), KatAware, was developed in the Kat River catchment of South Africa to support the negotiation process among water users on the allocation rules of the resource. Playing the RPG with local stakeholders exhibited some regularity in the behaviour of players, particularly on their attitude of defining binding agreements. These regularities were first formalized through a model of cooperative game theory (CGT), and then, to confirm the results of the model, tested by an experimental protocol. Both the model and the protocol were based and calibrated on the results of the RPG. The progressive simplification (decontextualization) required to bring the RPG into the laboratory suggested to explore the role of context (in our case water related issues) on players’ behaviour. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the process that conducted the research team from the experience in the Kat River to the first experiments to test the hypotheses exhibited in the experience and then to analyze the influence of context on players’ behaviour. Terms and concepts are clarified in order to provide a clear research framework in this new field at the border between experiences and experiments in social sciences for commons management.

Improving rotorcraft survivability to RPG attack using inverse methods

This paper presents the results of a preliminary investigation of optimal threat evasion strategies for improving the survivability of rotorcraft under attack by rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). The basis of this approach is the application of inverse simulation techniques pioneered for simulation of aggressive helicopter manoeuvres to the RPG engagement problem. In this research, improvements in survivability are achieved by computing effective evasive manoeuvres. The first step in this process uses the missile approach warning system camera (MAWS) on the aircraft to provide angular information of the threat. Estimates of the RPG trajectory and impact point are then estimated. For the current flight state an appropriate evasion response is selected then realised via inverse simulation of the platform dynamics. Results are presented for several representative engagements showing the efficacy of the approach

From experience to experiments in water management

Thirteen years after the beginning of the democratization process in South Africa, many radical socio-political and institutional transformations have taken place in the country. Unlike during the Apartheid era, natural resource management and governance, particularly in the water sector, is nowadays based on concepts and criteria such as decentralization, economic efficiency, environmental sustainability and social equity. These criteria, which represent the pillars of the South African National Water Act (NWA-1998), are universally recognized as the fundaments of sustainable development and are widely employed in the definition of the environmental policies of the industrialized countries. To accompany this socio- political revolution, a process of institutional building is taking place in the South African water sector. New organizations, namely the Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs) and the Water Users Associations (WUAs) in charge of local governance of water are being established in the country. These new organizations urgently need tools, methods, processes that can help them in their difficult task of implementing locally the NWA by promoting the participation of local stakeholders in the process of water management and allocation. In particular, there is a need to gain a better understanding of collective decision mechanisms. In the South African context, participatory approaches - involving local stakeholders, decision-makers and researchers- have been implemented to accompany the water allocation process at catchment scale: the Kat River catchment was used as a pilot study to develop a role-playing game (KatAware -based on multi-agent simulations) accompanying the negotiation between water users on the allocation rules of irrigation water. However, the lessons of this experience are not easily transferable to other sites or situations. The objectives of our work are therefore to assess the impact of the context on the outcome of a collective decision: by identifying the contextual elements influencing most on individual behaviour and on collective action, we could then build negotiation-support tools which are more easily transferable from one context to another. (Résumé d'auteur