Fair agricultural innovation for a changing climate

Agricultural innovation happens at different scales and through different streams. In the absence of a common global research agenda, decisions on which innovations are brought to existence, and through which methods, are taken with insufficient view on how innovation affects social relations, the environment, and future food production. Mostly, innovations are considered from the standpoint of economic efficiency, particularly in relationship to creating jobs for technology-exporting countries. Increasingly, however, the realization that innovations cannot be successful on their technical prowess alone calls for a broader investigation

Agrobiodiversität, das Gemeinschaftserbe-Prinzip und Marktanreize

Die Diversität von Nahrungspflanzen, ein Ergebnis Jahrtausende langer Zuchtbemühungen, ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten dramatisch zurückgegangen. Schätzungen zufolge machen von den über 7000 Nahrungspflanzenarten ganze 103 Sorten 90% der Nahrungsmittelproduktion aus. Dieser Verlust könnte in Zukunft gewaltige negative Auswirkungen auf die Nahrungsmittelsicherheit haben, da die Biodiversität eine zentrale Rolle bei der Absorbierung biotischer und abiotischer Stressfaktoren spielt, die auf die Pflanzen wirken. Darüber hinaus stellt der Verlust eine bedeutende Verarmung nicht nur des Pools genetischer Ressourcen dar, die zukünftigen Generationen zur Verfügung stehen, sondern auch der kulturellen Diversität, indem die Nahrungsmittelvielfalt der Landesküchen eingeschränkt und sowohl Kulturlandschaften als auch Stadtgärten vereinheitlicht werden. Wegen der grundlegenden Funktion, die die Agrobiodiversität in der menschlichen Gesellschaft erfüllt, werden wir im Folgenden verschiedene Schwierigkeiten bei der Pflege der Agrobiodiversität als ein gemeinsames Erbe der Menschheit in einer stark ungleichen Welt erörtern. Zuvor jedoch möchten wir untersuchen, was Agrobiodiversität eigentlich ist und welche Funktion sie für das menschliche Wohlbefinden erfüllt. Ziel dieses Artikels ist zu zeigen, inwieweit sich verschiedene Anreizsysteme unterschiedlich auf den Erhalt von Agrobiodiversität auswirken

Differing Views of Uncertainty in Environmental Controversies: the Kearl Oil Sands Case, 2003-2008 in Canada.

Canada’s oil industry is thriving thanks to the recent and continuously increasing interest for the Albertan oil sands. While for some the oil sands are a success story others consider them one of Canada’s greatest social and environmental threats. Recently, a major controversy has evolved around the Kearl Oil Sands project (2003-2008) regarding what level of environmental uncertainties was acceptable or not and how to deal with them. In this thesis, the negotiation processes between the different social groups involved in this controversy will be analysed through a social constructivist perspective. Since the debate revolves around uncertainties, the groups’ discourses and approaches to uncertainties will be contrasted. In the end, this study shows that there are two main positions about uncertainties. While the environmentalist groups regard them as unspecified and stable and undertake a precautionary approach to developments, the oil industry and the government consider them as specified and temporary, thus advocating more expertise and adaptive management. This analysis provides an insight on the social construction of environmental problems and how they are legally dealt with

Who owns the taste of coffee – examining implications of biobased means of production in food

Synthetic foods advocates offer the promise of efficient, reliable, and sustainable food production. Engineered organisms become factories to produce food. Proponents claim that through this technique important barriers can be eliminated which would facilitate the production of traditional foods outside their climatic range. This technique would allow reducing food miles, secure future supply, and maintain quality and taste expectations. In this paper, we examine coffee production via biobased means. A startup called Atomo Coffee aims to produce synthetic coffee with the aim of saving ‘the taste of coffee’ from the effects of climate change. This decontextualisation of coffee production ignores the current and historical contributions of coffee farmers in two ways: the traditional varieties in taste of coffee and their cultural significance, and the potential shade-grown coffee plantations have in capturing carbon. In addition, synthetic coffee may lead to the loss of agricultural biodiversity and the removal of resources away from production systems that provide a safe space for tropical flora and fauna. How should the ‘taste of coffee’ be owned? We investigate the property regimes under which we could consider owning the taste of coffee as a ‘synthetic’ agrobiodiversity to help identify rights and responsibilities. Building on this analysis, we consider dimensions of responsible innovation and social justice to help guide synthetic foods as an agricultural innovation

Sustainable Planning of Megaprojects in the Circumpolar North - broadening the horizon, gaining insight empowering local stakeholders

This report is prepared for the partial fulfilment of the project “Mega-project planning in the Circumpolar North - broadening the horizon, gaining insight, empowering local stakeholders” which commenced in the spring of 2010. The aim of the project was to assess the planning processes of Arctic mega-projects in the light of sustainable development. It assessed the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of mega-projects in the Circumpolar North and provides insight and lessons learnt as regards sustainable planning of mega-projects for the benefit of decision-makers and the general public. To this end, the project compared two case studies: the construction of Kárahnjúkar hydro project and an Alcoa aluminium smelter in East Iceland and the development of the Kearl Oil Sands near Wood Buffalo, in Alberta, Canada

A Latin American Perspective to Agricultural Ethics

The mixture of political, social, cultural and economic environments in Latin America, together with the enormous diversity in climates, natural habitats and biological resources the continent offers, make the ethical assessment of agricultural policies extremely difficult. Yet the experience gained while addressing the contemporary challenges the region faces, such as rapid urbanization, loss of culinary and crop diversity, extreme inequality, disappearing farming styles, water and land grabs, malnutrition and the restoration of the rule of law and social peace, can be of great value to other regions in similar latitudes, development processes and social problems. This chapter will provide a brief overview of these challenges from the perspective of a continent that is exposed to the consequences of extreme inequality in multiple dimensions and conclude by arguing for the need to have a continuous South-South dialogue on the challenges of establishing socially and environmentally sustainable food systems