Transforming Governance In Telecoupled Food Systems

In this paper we analyse how new actors, interests, and resources become salient to food system governance and how the domain of food system governance transforms as a result. Specifically, we focus on how the boundaries of food systems are redefined and new institutions are developed through the explicit recognition of distal interactions and feedbacks—telecoupling—operating in the food system space. Telecoupling can stimulate new forms of governance, such as the development of codes of conduct and certification schemes, with positive impacts on food and livelihood security; when ignored, telecouplings can exacerbate undesirable social and ecological outcomes in linked systems. We present a typology of telecoupled food systems, highlighting three dimensions of distance that can be present in systems that become telecoupled: social, institutional, and physical. We use that typology to explore the evolution of telecoupling and governance change in two case studies. We associate the tendency for changes in governance that occur in each case with the nature of “distance” in the systems in question: whether the systems are distal in terms of social and/or institutional ties, or in the resource base, or some combination of all three dimensions of distance. The challenge of overcoming distance is not the only issue that affects the possibility of governance change; the cases illustrate that the cultural and economic conditions of the connected systems, the agency of actors involved, and their political and social relations and networks all come to play in enabling governance transformation in telecoupled systems

Condiciones para la adaptación de los pequeños productores de café ante presiones económicas mediante procesos de “upgrading” en la cadena productiva

El análisis de los medios de vida se ha utilizado con éxito para ilustrar el comportamiento de las familias como resultado de la interacción de sus miembros con un mundo lleno de restricciones y oportunidades institucionales a escala local, regional, nacional y global. En ese mundo, las familias organizan sus activos y recursos para hacer frente con eficacia a las presiones exógenas y cambios en su ambiente institucional o biofísico. Uno de los principales desafíos del análisis de medios de vida aplicado a las comunidades rurales lo constituye la comprensión de cómo la familia se vincula a los cambios en el mercado que resultan de la globalización económica. En este artículo se argumenta que la respuesta de las familias a las presiones económicas externas puede ser explicada por el tipo de participación que tengan en las cadenas globales de mercancías (CGM). Esto en consecuencia relaciona el tipo de respuesta a las oportunidades que se derivan de los procesos de “upgrading” en las cadenas, pero cuya concreción depende del entorno institucional en que operan las familias. Se hace una aplicación a los productores de café en Veracruz, México, el cual ilustra un caso de desacople de las políticas orientadas a los pequeños productores con los requerimientos para mantenerse competitivamente en la cadena de café.Medios de vida, cadenas globales de mercancías, “upgrading”, café, México.

Condiciones para la adaptación de los pequeños productores de café ante presiones económicas mediante procesos de "upgrading" en la cadena productiva

El análisis de los medios de vida se ha utilizado con éxito para ilustrar el comportamiento de las familias como resultado de la interacción de sus miembros con un mundo lleno de restricciones y oportunidades institucionales a escala local, regional, nacional y global. En ese mundo, las familias organizan sus activos y recursos para hacer frente con eficacia a las presiones exógenas y cambios en su ambiente institucional o biofísico. Uno de los principales desafíos del análisis de medios de vida aplicado a las comunidades rurales lo constituye la comprensión de cómo la familia se vincula a los cambios en el mercado que resultan de la globalización económica. En este artículo se argumenta que la respuesta de las familias a las presiones económicas externas puede ser explicada por el tipo de participación que tengan en las cadenas globales de mercancías (CGM). Esto en consecuencia relaciona el tipo de respuesta a las oportunidades que se derivan de los procesos de "upgrading" en las cadenas, pero cuya concreción depende del entorno institucional en que operan las familias. Se hace una aplicación a los productores de café en Veracruz, México, el cual ilustra un caso de desacople de las políticas orientadas a los pequeños productores con los requerimientos para mantenerse competitivamente en la cadena de café.Livelihood analysis has been used successfully to illustrate how the behavior of families is the result of the interaction of its members in a world of restrictions and institutional opportunities on the local, regional, national, and global scales. Livelihood analysis proposes that families organize their assets and resources to effectively face the exogenous pressures and changes in their institutional or biophysical atmosphere. One of the main challenges of the livelihoods approach applied to rural communities is the understanding of how families link to market changes deriving from economic globalization. This paper argues that the response by families to external economic pressures is better understood through the analysis of their participation in the global commodity chains related to the requirement for upgrading in the chains and depending on the institutional environment in which families operate. An application is made to the case of coffee producers in Veracruz, Mexico, which illustrates a case of decoupling between the policies developed for small producers with their requirements to keep competitive in the coffee chain

Impactos potenciales del cambio climático en la agricultura: escenarios de producción de café para el 2050 en Veracruz (México)

Ponencia presentada en: IV Congreso de la Asociación Española de Climatología "El Clima entre el Mar y la Montaña", celebrado en Santander del 2 al 5 de noviembre de 2004.[ES]La producción de café en México tradicionalmente ha sido una fuente importante de divisas y de ingreso para miles de pequeños productores. A pesar de su importancia económica nacional y local, se ha prestado muy poca atención a los impactos potenciales que cambios en las variables climáticas podrían tener sobre este cultivo. Los estudios que se han realizado en Veracruz analizan cambios en políticas agrícolas e inestabilidad del mercado, que resultan más inminentes que el clima. Sin embargo, dependiendo de la sensibilidad del cultivo al clima y de cuánto se modifique éste en la región, las variables climáticas pueden convertirse en factores que determinen su viabilidad física y económica y con ello, las fuentes de ingreso y trabajo que genera. Este estudio aplica un modelo econométrico para explorar la sensibilidad de la producción de café en el Estado de Veracruz a cambios en variables climáticas y económicas. Se construyeron escenarios climáticos usando los modelos HadCM2 y ECHAM4 para obtener escenarios para el 2050 y se estimó la producción de café futura en el estado y se analizaron los posibles efectos de estos cambios en el ingreso de los productores. Los resultados sugieren que la situación económica de los productores empeorará, y que es necesario que el cambio climático sea parte explicita de los planes de desarrollo agrícola.[EN]Coffee has been one of Mexico’s primary sources of foreign exchange, and is an important source of livelihood for thousands of smallholder farmers. Despite its national and regional economic importance, very little attention has been paid to the sensitivity of the crop to potential changes in climate parameters. Studies that have been carried out in Veracruz to assess coffee production vulnerability are almost exclusively concerned with policy changes and market instability. These factors represent more immediate, imperative threats than climate factors. Nonetheless, climate factors can determine the physical and economical viability for producing a particular crop, depending on how sensitive the crop turns out to be and on how significant are those changes for the region. This study applies an econometric model to explore the response of coffee production to climate and economic variables. Climate scenarios for 2050 were constructed using the HadCM2 and ECHAM4 models. Expected coffee production for present and for 2050 are calculated and some effects on producer’s income are analyzed. Results suggest that climate change needs to become an explicit part of agricultural development planning

Linking development to climate adaptation: Leveraging generic and specific capacities to reduce vulnerability to drought in NE Brazil

AbstractTo respond to climate impact, poor agricultural households in less developed regions rely on different types of assets that define their overall adaptive capacity (AC). However not all assets build capacity equally. In this study we argue that building AC requires a combination of interventions that address not only climate-related risks (specific capacity) but also the structural deficits (e.g., lack of income, education, health, political power) (generic capacity) that shape vulnerability. Focusing on rainfed agriculture in NE Brazil, we investigate how households leverage and combine generic and specific capacities to reduce vulnerability. Particularly we explore: 1) the relative importance of different kinds of capacity in shaping vulnerability on these households and 2) how the level of generic capacities (particularly as a result of Brazil’s anti-poverty program Bolsa Família) influences the adoption of specific ones. We find that both kinds of capacity matter, as relatively higher levels of generic capacity (in terms of income in general, and climate-neutral income specifically) are associated with higher levels of specific capacity (irrigation). In addition we find that while Bolsa Família has been positive in increasing income, it has not been sufficient to manage the risk of food insecurity during drought events, suggesting a 'poverty trap' in which families are constantly coping with drought but failing to overcome the conditions that make them vulnerable. Our findings indicate that in order to decrease climate vulnerability of poor agricultural households, development interventions, such as anti-poverty programs, have to go beyond cash transfer and should incorporate risk management policies that enhance synergies between generic and specific capacities

Transformative spaces in the making: key lessons from nine cases in the Global South

Creating a just and sustainable planet will require not only small changes, but also systemic transformations in how humans relate to the planet and to each other, i.e., social–ecological transformations. We suggest there is a need for collaborative environments where experimentation with new configurations of social–ecological systems can occur, and we refer to these as transformative spaces. In this paper, we seek a better understanding of how to design and enable the creation of transformative spaces in a development context. We analyse nine case studies from a previous special issue on Designing Transformative Spaces that aimed to collect examples of cutting-edge action-oriented research on transformations from the Global South. The analysis showed five design phases as being essential: Problem Definition Phase; Operationalisation Phase; Tactical Phase; Outcome Phase; and Reflection Phase. From this synthesis, we distilled five key messages that should be considered when designing research, including: (a) there are ethical dilemmas associated with creating a transformative space in a system; (b) it is important to assess the readiness of the system for change before engaging in it; (c) there is a need to balance between ‘safe’ and ‘safe-enough’ spaces for transformation; (d) convening a transformative space requires an assemblage of diverse methodological frameworks and tools; and (e) transformative spaces can act as a starting point for institutionalising transformative change. Many researchers are now engaging in transdisciplinary transformations research, and are finding themselves at the knowledge–action interface contributing to transformative space-making. We hope that by analysing experiences from across different geographies we can contribute towards better understanding of how to navigate the processes needed for the urgent global transformations that are being called for to create a more equitable and sustainable planet Earth

Transformation in governance towards resilient food systems

The dynamics of systemic societal transformations are not well understood, and the extent to which such transformations can be governed is contested. This research paper is the result of a joint effort among a small group of researchers to identify pathways for transformation towards sustainable food systems, which are resilient towards shocks and towards climate change in particular. Using empirical studies, both transformations in governance systems and governance of transformations were investigated. These cases served as a preliminary analysis to identify some of the trends and patterns that warrant further investigation. Not surprisingly, transformational change in food systems is often triggered by a shock to the system, or by increasing pressure to that system. But that alone is not enough to bring about a transformation. A number of preconditions and conditions need to be present including sufficient ‘wealth’ or economic and social capital in the system with resources that can be mobilized, and sufficient flexibility in the institutional context to allow innovation to emerge and gain strength. A particular area of interest that appears to stimulate transformations is collective action, which often involves collaboration across geographical scales and interest groups. The outcomes of transformations are complex and typically multifaceted, and can take years to emerge. However, broadly speaking, the cases explored demonstrate that governance is central to food system transformation both in terms of pre-conditions and provoking processes as well as in the outcomes of the transformation itself. Food system transformations in general appear to entail fundamental shifts in social relations and institutions – in other words, the governance of the food system

Transformations to Sustainability

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight how transformations to sustainable economies and societies are a major global challenge. This Working Paper offers a brief overview of different conceptual approaches to transformation, and outlines a set of practical principles for effective research and action towards sustainability. We review three approaches to transformation, labelled: 'structural', 'systemic' and 'enabling'. We show how different ways of understanding what we mean by transformations can affect what actions follow. But these approaches are not mutually exclusive. We use global examples on low-carbon economy transformations, seed systems, wetland conservation and peri-urban development to show how they can be complementary and reinforcing. We describe three cross-cutting practical challenges and responses that must be taken seriously for effective transformations to sustainability: diverse knowledges, plural actors and the political nature of transformation. Realising the ambitions of the SDGs, we conclude, requires being clear about what we mean by transformation, and recognising these basic methodological principles for action.This working paper is partly based on the research supported by the Transformations to Sustainability programme, which is coordinated by the International Science Council and funded by the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and implemented in partnership with the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The Transformations to Sustainability Programme represents a contribution to Future Earth

Opinion: Urban Resilience Efforts Must Consider Social And Political Forces

Environmental disasters, ranging from catastrophic floods to extreme temperatures, have caused more than 30,000 deaths per year and more than US$ 250–300 billion a year in economic losses, globally, between 1995 and 2015. Improved infrastructure and planning for extreme events is essential in urban areas, where an increasingly greater fraction of the world’s inhabitants reside. In response, international governmental and private initiatives have placed the goal of resilience at the center stage of urban planning. [For example, The 100 Resilient Cities Initiative (www.100resilientcities.org/); the Global Covenant of Mayors (https://www.compactofmayors.org/globalcovenantofmayors/); and the recent UN Habitat III (https://habitat3.org/the-new-urban-agenda)]. In addition, scientific and policy communities alike now recognize the need for “safe-to-fail” infrastructural design, and the potential role of green and blue infrastructure in mediating hydrological and climatic risks in cities

Structured Collaboration Across a Transformative Knowledge Network-Learning Across Disciplines, Cultures and Contexts?

Realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require transformative changes at micro, meso and macro levels and across diverse geographies. Collaborative, transdisciplinary research has a role to play in documenting, understanding and contributing to such transformations. Previous work has investigated the role of this research in Europe and North America, however the dynamics of transdisciplinary research on ‘transformations to sustainability’ in other parts of the world are less well-understood. This paper reports on an international project that involved transdisciplinary research in six different hubs across the globe and was strategically designed to enable mutual learning and exchange. It draws on surveys, reports and research outputs to analyse the processes of transdisciplinary collaboration for sustainability that took place between 2015-2019. The paper illustrates how the project was structured in order to enable learning across disciplines, cultures and contexts, and describes how it also provided for the negotiation of epistemological frameworks and different normative commitments between members across the network. To this end, it discusses lessons regarding the use of theoretical and methodological anchors, multi-loop learning and evaluating emergent change (including the difficulties encountered). It offers insights for the design and implementation of future international transdisciplinary collaborations that address locally-specific sustainability challenges within the universal framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development