Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Agribusiness Success of Small-scale Farming Systems in Northern Vietnam

This study was conducted in Haiphong (Vietnam) during 2013-2014 to analyse the requirements for the success of small-scale agribusinesses. Following two baseline studies on the current state of the local farming systems and market situations, various stakeholders were engaged in a number of workshops with support of a causal loop diagram (CLD) modelling tool to redefine the pre-requisites for agribusiness success and their interplays. As a result, multi-stakeholder collaboration and government support via its policies and development programs were identified as the necessary conditions for success. Nonetheless, strengthening the capacity of local cooperatives and investing in human and social capitals are of equal importance as sufficient conditions, which generate multiple benefits towards achieving agribusiness success. Values of full participation by all stakeholders and the use of the CLD in defining systemic interventions are also discussed

The Art of Interconnected Thinking: Starting with the Young

Despite many efforts to deal with the various complex issues facing our societies, plans and problem solutions are seldom long lasting, because we, as individuals, and our leaders are most likely to fall into the trap of using traditional linear thinking. It is natural and easy, but does not usually deliver long-term solutions in the context of highly complex modern communities. There is an urgent need for innovative ways of thinking and a fresh approach to dealing with the unprecedented and complex challenges facing our world. It is essential for future leaders and citizens to be prepared for “interconnected” thinking to deal with complex problems in a systemic, integrated and collaborative fashion; working together to deal with issues holistically, rather than simplistically focusing on isolated features. An educational tool (Ecopolicy) is used as the main mechanism to achieve this aim. The Ecopolicy cybernetic simulation “game” is a challenging, but playful, method by which students are introduced to the idea of thinking in terms of relations, in feedback cycles, in networks and in systems. Participation in this stimulating simulation enhances the capacity of young people to change their way of thinking. This would be expected to prepare them to develop into leaders or citizens who can effectively deal with a complex and challenging future

DEVELOPING CAUSAL LOOP DIAGRAMS FOR COFFEE SUPPLY CHAIN: SUPPORTING TO ENHANCE THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF A VIETNAMESE COFFEE

In this paper, researchers develop causal relationships among different variables that present enablers and outcomes – operating within many identified feedback loops. The resulting causal loop model provides coffee managers with a snapshot of the dynamic interactions among elements in the coffee supply chain, which helps to identify proactive action in implementing the coffee supply chain philosophy for increasing the competitiveness of coffee products. Based on this review and analysis, recommendations are made regarding application of the causal loop method in coffee supply chain management. Important future research directions are also indicated

Using an Evolutionary Learning Laboratory approach to establish a World First Model for Integrated Governance of Haiphong, Vietnam

We manage the systems we are part of in a highly compartmentalised structure. Government departments are a typical example of how society operates in silos. However, complex political, environmental, socio-economic, and business-financial issues tend to transcend the jurisdictions and capacities of any single government department, which adds significantly to the difficulties in finding systemic management solutions and effective governance plans. This lack of cross-sectoral communication and collaboration in complex national and global environments compromises the leaders and policy makers in government, leading to centralised protocols and siloed departments that undercut local responsiveness. The Government of Haiphong City (HPC) decided to establish an Evolutionary Learning Laboratory (ELLab) to enhance communication and collaboration between the different departments in order to develop an integrated and systemic Governance Plan for HPC. Workshops and specialist forums were held to gather the mental models of representatives of different Government departments. The "learning" process started with integrating the various mental models into a systems structure using Causal Loop Modelling and continued during the steps of interpreting and exploring the model. A deeper understanding of the potential implications of actions, strategies and policies lead to the identification of leverages and systemic interventions that will contribute to the development of a sustainable HPC. A series of Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) management models is developed for each of the identified systemic interventions, determining the requirements for their implementation, the factors that could affect the expected outcomes; and the order in which activities should be carried out to ensure cost-effectiveness and maximum impact. The models are combined and used to develop a refined systems model, which forms at the same time a systemic strategic and operational plan for integrated governance of HPC. &nbsp

A SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH TO ADDRESS THE COMPLEXITY OF AGRIBUSINESS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

African countries have comparative advantages in terms of land and relatively cheap labour cost compared to western countries in the production and export of primary commodities. However, there are many challenges such as sustainability issues, and the danger of “silo mentality” (in which fixing one problem “here” simply shifts the problem “there”) and “organizational myopia” (in which a short term fix “now” gives rise to a much bigger problem to fix “later”) facing the agriculture sector. Since the democratic progresses of many African countries, there have been a number of interventions to overcome the challenges facing the agriculture industry but with little success. The problem still persists and many budgeted billions of dollars for the agriculture sector have already been spent. The agriculture industry is a complex system economically, socially, and environmentally thus dealing with problems in isolation fails to produce lasting results. A survey and literature reviews was conducted to gather the mental models of all stakeholders involved in addition to the challenges of the agricultural sectors within Africa. Their opinion concerning how the system works, barriers to success and the system drivers, and possible strategies (solutions) to overcome these problems was analysed. These results developed four system models for agribusiness sustainability using a “systems thinking” or integrated approach and tools such as casual loop diagrams and Bayesian Belief Network models. Casual loop modeling were used to determine the components and interactions between the policy, social, environmental and economic dimensions to provide insights into potential systems behavior and to facilitate leverage points and systemic intervention strategies that are required for sustainable development of the agriculture industry. The Bayesian Belief Network models reveal that farmer education, access to both seasonal production, access to information, quality seeds and cold storage facilities will help drive overall export performance by 8.2%, increasing market share by 11.7%, raising export volume by 22% and enhance farmer’s profit by 13.1%. This approach will enable and assist farmers, policymakers, researchers and donors to successfully manage the agriculture and food systems so as to strengthen food security, enhance rural livelihoods, and improve environmental sustainability in the context of the challenges arising from agriculture production in Africa. These will also help stakeholders and governments to anticipate the long-term consequences of their decisions and actions, as well as the unintended consequences of policies and strategies and avoid “silo mentality” and “organizational myopia”. This will further induce innovative agribusiness with an entrepreneurial approach and empower the youth to be successful agribusiness entrepreneurs through an innovative and systemic approach

A systemic approach to understand the conservation status and viability of the critically endangered Cat Ba Langur

Wildlife conservation is a dynamically complex system, linking seemingly disparate biological and cultural components. This article offers policy professionals an illustration of how a dynamically complex system was diagnosed by applying the system dynamics approach. An integrated method was applied to develop a causal loop diagram, showing the interconnected variables within the system, relating to the conservation status and viability of Cat Ba Langur. Rural poverty, low livelihoods options, human population growth, inappropriate tourism planning and weak management capacity are challenges that have prevented the langur population from increasing over the last decades. Tragedy of commons and shifting the burden systems archetypes were identified and then leverage points for saving the species were proposed. A shift towards the systems perspective of viewing wildlife conservation as the dynamically complex system enables decision-makers to avoid the unintended consequences emerging from the linear thinking, and find sustainable solutions for both wildlife and human