Lifting the Veil of Social Unrest about Food The Dynamics behind Transitions in Food Chains

This paper presents a novel approach to gain a deeper understanding of the forces driving sustainability transitions in food production and consumption. It follows a complex adaptive systems approach to study processes leading to sociotechnical innovations on a timescale of typically a decade. Dramaturgical analysis and agent-based simulation are combined to analyse how systems of institutional arrangements and production technology adapt to changes in public opinion and disrupting events like the outbreak of animal diseases or public health hazards. A dramaturgical analysis on the basis of newspaper articles and parliamentary records is performed for two cases. The resulting patterns of behaviour of key actors in these processes are modelled in an agent-based simulation. The purpose of the agent-based simulation is to validate that the assumed behaviours lead to the observed innovations, and to study how the system could have developed under different behaviours or a different course of external events

Kansen en belemmeringen in duurzame ketenvorming; Primair bedrijf in ketens?

In agricultural chains in the Netherlands, there are many initiatives to produce more sustainably. However, the growth of these chains is proceeding more slowly than is socially desirable. On the basis of nine case studies of niche products, this study attempts to provide an insight into where the obstacles to the growth of such chains lie. In addition, we examine the role of the chain parties and others (for example, the government) in removing these obstacles. In de Nederlandse landbouw zijn diverse initiatieven om in ketenverband duur& zamer te produceren. Echter, de groei van deze ketens is minder snel dan maatschappelijk gewenst is. Dit onderzoek wil op basis van negen cases van ni& cheproducten inzichtelijk maken waar de groeibelemmeringen in deze ketens zitten. Ook wordt ingegaan op de rol van de ketenpartijen en anderen (bijvoor& beeld de overheid) bij het oplossen van deze belemmeringen.Chains Dutch Agriculture, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management,

Principles of Sustainable Business: Frameworks for corporate action on the SDGs

The basic function of companies is to add value to society. Profits are a means to an end, not an end in itself. The ability of companies to innovate, scale and invest provides them with a powerful base for positive change. But companies are also criticized for not contributing sufficiently to society’s grand challenges. An increasingly VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world creates serious governance gaps that not only require new ways of regulation, but also new ways of doing business. Can companies effectively contribute to sustainable development and confront society’s systemic challenges?Arguably the most important frame to drive this ambition was introduced and unanimously adopted in 2015: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG-agenda not only defines a holistic set of global goals and targets, but also foundational principles to guide meaningful action to their achievement by 2030. Multinational companies have signed up to the SDGs as the world’s long-term business plan. Realizing the SDGs provides a yearly $12 trillion investment and growth opportunity, while creating hundreds of millions of jobs in the process. But progress is too slow – witnessing society’s inability to deal with pressing human, ecological, economic and health crises – whilst the vast potential for societal value creation remains underutilized. This book provides a timely account of the systemic, strategic and operational challenges that need to be addressed to enhance the effectiveness of corporate involvement in society, by using the SDGs as the leading principles-based framework for actionable, powerful and transformative change.Principles of Sustainable Business is written for graduate and postgraduate (executive) students, policymakers and business professionals who want to understand the complex challenges of global sustainability. It shows how companies can design and implement SDG-relevant strategies at three levels: the macro level, to assess whether the SDGs present wicked problems or opportunities; the micro level, to develop and operationalize innovative business models, design new business cases and navigate organizational transition trajectories; and the meso level, to develop fit-for-purpose cross-sector partnering strategies. Principles of Sustainable Business presents innovative tools embedded in a coherent sequence of analytical frameworks that can be applied in courses for students, be put into practice by business professionals and used by action researchers to help companies contribute to the Decade of Action

Lifting the Veil of Social Unrest about Food The Dynamics behind Transitions in Food Chains

This paper presents a novel approach to gain a deeper understanding of the forces driving sustainability transitions in food production and consumption. It follows a complex adaptive systems approach to study processes leading to sociotechnical innovations on a timescale of typically a decade. Dramaturgical analysis and agent-based simulation are combined to analyse how systems of institutional arrangements and production technology adapt to changes in public opinion and disrupting events like the outbreak of animal diseases or public health hazards. A dramaturgical analysis on the basis of newspaper articles and parliamentary records is performed for two cases. The resulting patterns of behaviour of key actors in these processes are modelled in an agent-based simulation. The purpose of the agent-based simulation is to validate that the assumed behaviours lead to the observed innovations, and to study how the system could have developed under different behaviours or a different course of external events

Kansen en belemmeringen in duurzame ketenvorming; Primair bedrijf in ketens?

In agricultural chains in the Netherlands, there are many initiatives to produce more sustainably. However, the growth of these chains is proceeding more slowly than is socially desirable. On the basis of nine case studies of niche products, this study attempts to provide an insight into where the obstacles to the growth of such chains lie. In addition, we examine the role of the chain parties and others (for example, the government) in removing these obstacles. In de Nederlandse landbouw zijn diverse initiatieven om in ketenverband duur& zamer te produceren. Echter, de groei van deze ketens is minder snel dan maatschappelijk gewenst is. Dit onderzoek wil op basis van negen cases van ni& cheproducten inzichtelijk maken waar de groeibelemmeringen in deze ketens zitten. Ook wordt ingegaan op de rol van de ketenpartijen en anderen (bijvoor& beeld de overheid) bij het oplossen van deze belemmeringen