A modeling framework for assessing adaptation options of Finnish agriculture to climate variability and change

To enable ex ante assessment of alternative adaptation strategies for Finnish agriculture at multiple scales, MTT Agrifood Research Finland and partner institutes recently launched a project Integrated Modeling of Agrifood Systems (IMAGES).The project aims at developing and evaluating different component (economic and biophysical) models and link them in an integrated modeling framework

A modelling framework for the assessment of the impacts of alternative policy and management options on the sustainability of Finnish agrifood systems

Recently, a new project focussing on integrated assessment modelling of agrifood systems (IAM-Tools) has been launched at MTT Agrifood Research Finland to gather, evaluate, refine and develop these component models and to link tem in an IAM framework for Finnish conditions

Suomen maatalouden tulevaisuuden vaihtoehdot - kestävyyden ulottuvuudet ja tasot : skenaariomallinnuksen hyödyntäminen maatalouden strategisessa suunnittelussa

Julkaistu 1.1.2002vokInternetist

How to confront future changes in agriculture : scenarios, strategy paradigms and their interactions in public sector strategic planning

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Delphi expert panels in the scenario based public strategic planning of agriculture

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Loss of plant species richness and habitat connectivity in grasslands associated with agricultural change in Finland

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The value of the Finnish salmonella control program in the consumers' eyes - a contingent valuation study

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Consumer attitudes behind their food quality and safety perceptions

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A modelling framework for assessing adaptive management options of Finnish agricultural systems to climate change

Agrifood systems need to adapt to cope with the risks and opportunities related to global changes in climate, markets and policies. The impacts of these changes on food production, the environment and farmer livelihoods, as well as those of changes to technology and management practices, are not clearly understood. There is a need for improved assessment methods and tools that consider multiple factor and scale interactions (Van Ittersum et al., 2008). In recent years, European-wide consortia, such as SEAMLESS, have worked for creating flexible and widely applicable frameworks for integrated assessment and and modelling of agrifood systems That work has been valuable in developing common concepts, methods and more flexible frameworks (Ewert et al., 2009).. However, their relative generic character reduces its applicability when it comes to detailed regional applications, e.g. as needed in identifying promising climate change adaptation and mitigation options for agricultural systems

The use of scenarios in climate policy planning: an assessment of actors' experiences and lessons learned in Finland

Scenarios are often used to depict the possible outcomes of alternative future developments as part of the evaluation of climate and energy policy measures. In Finland, scenarios have become a standard practice in climate-related policy planning. However, scenario planning often results in a single cohesive narrative, which lacks transparency in why certain developments and solutions are included and others left out. This article focuses on how scenarios created during the planning of Finland's Medium-term Plan for Climate Change Policy (KAISU) were built, and how the actors involved assessed the characteristics and quality of these scenarios. We interviewed a total of 18 participants from research, administration, and policymaking domains involved in the creation of the plan and the scenarios it contains. Semi-structured interviews provided an insight into the creation and use of scenarios as part of policy formulation, as well as points of further improvement for the process. The KAISU plan was constructed as a cross-sectoral collaborative effort between policymakers, public officials, and researchers. Despite the variety of actors involved in the process, the resulting scenarios were perceived as well-executed by the participants. However, national scenario foresight could be improved in three dimensions: 1) the process where actors collaborate to build scenarios, 2) the scenario methodology, where solutions and developments are included or excluded, and 3) use of the scenarios after their construction