Australian co-operation with the national agricultural research project Thailand Farming systems research - Future Directions

CONTENTS Farming Systems Research - Future Directions - Introduction by Mr B. Gorddard The CIMMYT Approach to Farming Systems Research Dr L. Harrington The Relationship of FSR to Discipline and Component Technology Research: Dr D. Ivory A Cropping Systems Technology Development Process: The Basis for Improving Links Between Research and Extension Through FSR. : Mr Iain A. Craig Extension - Research : A Natural Linkage Mr B. Gorddard Follow-up Discussion with FSRI: - Dr L. Harrington - Mr B. Gorddard - Dr D. Ivor

Extension - Research A natural Linkage

A discussion paper prepared for the Department of Agriculture, Thailand, by ACNARP - the Australian Cooperation with the National Agricultural Research Project, The project is concerned with the decentralisation of the Department of Agriculture through the development of nineteen new research centres, and the upgrading of the quality of agricultural research within the Department in order to generate more relevant information for farmers. Responsibility for extension in Thailand rests with a separate Department of Agricultural Extension. Improved linkage between the Departments is therefore a high priority objective of ACNARP. At head of title : Australian Co-operation with the National Agricultural Research Project Thailand

Environmental triage decisions during a drought

The Murray Darling Basin Current is currently in drought. There are low water levels in most dams, and increased uncertainty about future rainfall. As a result management of the ecosystems in the basin that depend on river flows involves some hard decisions about what assets to save and what assets to let go. This paper models this triage problem using a stochastic and dynamic programming approach. This model is used to identify how optimal management is affected by hysteretic and irreversible effects of drought on ecosystem assets and uncertainty about future climate.Triage, irreversibility, climate change, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Putting Theory into Practice: Market Failure and Market Based Instruments (MBIs)

The use of market-based instruments (MBIs) to provide and protect ecosystem services has gained significant attention in Australia. Despite their popularity, MBIs are not appropriate for the provision of all ecosystem services. Rather, MBIs must be carefully designed given the ecosystem service outcomes desired, while meeting the needs of participants. In this paper we detail the importance of a robust theoretical structure to underpin the selection and design of an MBI. In particular, we demonstrate the role of identifying and analysing the nature of the market failures present, and their implications for instrument design. Our conclusions are illustrated using several regional MBI case studies.Market Based Instruments (MBIs), ecosystem services, conservation

Phalaris staggers : prevention by cobalt bullets

FARMERS in the south west of Western Australia are familiar with the use of cobalt for the prevention of ill-thrift and deaths due to cobalt deficiency in sheep and cattle. Less common is the use of cobalt for the prevention of chronic phalaris poisoning, known as phalaris staggers. This condition is well known in eastern Australia, but only isolated cases have been recorded in W.A. no doubt due to the relatively small area sown to phalaris in this state

Reconceptualising adaptation to climate change as part of pathways of change and response

The need to adapt to climate change is now widely recognised as evidence of its impacts on social and natural systems grows and greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. Yet efforts to adapt to climate change, as reported in the literature over the last decade and in selected case studies, have not led to substantial rates of implementation of adaptation actions despite substantial investments in adaptation science. Moreover, implemented actions have been mostly incremental and focused on proximate causes; there are far fewer reports of more systemic or transformative actions. We found that the nature and effectiveness of responses was strongly influenced by framing. Recent decision-oriented approaches that aim to overcome this situation are framed within a "pathways" metaphor to emphasise the need for robust decision making within adaptive processes in the face of uncertainty and inter-temporal complexity. However, to date, such "adaptation pathways" approaches have mostly focused on contexts with clearly identified decision-makers and unambiguous goals; as a result, they generally assume prevailing governance regimes are conducive for adaptation and hence constrain responses to proximate causes of vulnerability. In this paper, we explore a broader conceptualisation of "adaptation pathways" that draws on 'pathways thinking' in the sustainable development domain to consider the implications of path dependency, interactions between adaptation plans, vested interests and global change, and situations where values, interests, or institutions constrain societal responses to change. This re-conceptualisation of adaptation pathways aims to inform decision makers about integrating incremental actions on proximate causes with the transformative aspects of societal change. Case studies illustrate what this might entail. The paper ends with a call for further exploration of theory, methods and procedures to operationalise this broader conceptualisation of adaptation

An integrative research framework for enabling transformative adaptation

Transformative adaptation will be increasingly important to effectively address the impacts of climate change and other global drivers on social-ecological systems. Enabling transformative adaptation requires new ways to evaluate and adaptively manage trade-offs between maintaining desirable aspects of current social-ecological systems and adapting to major biophysical changes to those systems. We outline such an approach, based on three elements developed by the Transformative Adaptation Research Alliance (TARA): (1) the benefits of adaptation services; that sub-set of ecosystem services that help people adapt to environmental change; (2) The values-rules-knowledge perspective (vrk) for identifying those aspects of societal decision-making contexts that enable or constrain adaptation and (3) the adaptation pathways approach for implementing adaptation, that builds on and integrates adaptation services and the vrk perspective. Together, these elements provide a future-oriented approach to evaluation and use of ecosystem services, a dynamic, grounded understanding of governance and decision-making and a logical, sequential approach that connects decisions over time. The TARA approach represents a means for achieving changes in institutions and governance needed to support transformative adaptationThe research was supported by CSIRO Land and Water. We thank the Embassy of France in Australia and the Australian Academy of Sciences for funding the first Transformative Adaptation Research Alliance workshop in Canberra, October 27-31, 2014. We thank Craig Beatty, Mirjam Kuzee (IUCN) and Alistair Hobday (CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere) for reviewing the manuscript and providing constructive comments. The funding partners that have supported this research include the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) and the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (CRP-FTA) with financial support from the CGIAR Fun

Ten essentials for action-oriented and second order energy transitions, transformations and climate change research

The most critical question for climate research is no longer about the problem, but about how to facilitate the transformative changes necessary to avoid catastrophic climate-induced change. Addressing this question, however, will require massive upscaling of research that can rapidly enhance learning about transformations. Ten essentials for guiding action-oriented transformation and energy research are therefore presented, framed in relation to second-order science. They include: (1) Focus on transformations to low-carbon, resilient living; (2) Focus on solution processes; (3) Focus on ‘how to’ practical knowledge; (4) Approach research as occurring from within the system being intervened; (5) Work with normative aspects; (6) Seek to transcend current thinking; (7) Take a multi-faceted approach to understand and shape change; (8) Acknowledge the value of alternative roles of researchers; (9) Encourage second-order experimentation; and (10) Be reflexive. Joint application of the essentials would create highly adaptive, reflexive, collaborative and impact-oriented research able to enhance capacity to respond to the climate challenge. At present, however, the practice of such approaches is limited and constrained by dominance of other approaches. For wider transformations to low carbon living and energy systems to occur, transformations will therefore also be needed in the way in which knowledge is produced and used