Foresight for income and employment: What can we learn for agricultural research for development

Challenges related to poverty, hunger, nutrition, health, and the environment are widespread and urgent. One way to stress the urgency of making the right decisions about the future of the global food systems now is to better understand and more clearly articulate the alternative scenarios that food systems face. Developing, synthesizing, and presenting such alternatives to decision makers in a clear way is the ultimate goal of e CGIAR Foresight team.No single source of information focuses regularly and systematically on the future of food and agriculture, and challenges facing developing countries. Our work aims to fill that gap with a focus on agricultural income and employment.group systematically collects information about past, on-going and planned foresight activities across CGIAR centers and their partners, spanning the global agricultural research for development arenaWe present a comprehensive overview and synthesis of the results of relevant foresight research, which through the tagging with metadata allows for customized investigations in greater detail. The cross-cutting nature of this work allows for a more comprehensive picture and assessments of possible complementarities/trade-offs.Potential users of this report and associated activities include CGIAR science leaders and scientists as well as the broader research community, national and international development partners, national governments and research organizations, funders, and the private sector.The approach developed by the CGIAR foresight group is used to make foresight study results accessible across organizations and domains in order to aid policy and decision makers for strategic planning. The approach allows visualization of both the available information across multiple entry points as well as the identification of critical knowledge gaps.

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The Future Challenges of Food and Agriculture: An Integrated Analysis of Trends and Solutions

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11010222 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 222 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Ozgul Calicioglu ◽

Alessandro Flammini ◽

Stefania Bracco ◽

Lorenzo Bellù ◽

Ralph Sims

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Systems ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

World Population ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Food And Agriculture Organization ◽

The Future ◽

Future Challenges ◽

Agriculture And Food

The availability, access, utilization and stability of food supply over time are the four pillars of food security which support nutrition outcomes. Addressing the issues raised globally around these pillars remains a challenge. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 2017 report “The future of food and agriculture: trends and challenges” outlined the challenges which will have to be addressed in order for sustainable agricultural services to cost-effectively meet the growing food demand of the world population. In this study, we systematically analyzed the future challenges of the agriculture and food systems by focusing on (1) their root causes and trends; and (2) the interlinkages among the solutions proposed to address the challenges using social network analysis tools. It found that, if trends leading to extreme poverty are reversed, several other challenges will also be partially addressed and that climate change has the highest impact on the network of trends. Improving food security would have positive impacts on food access and utilization. The clear outline of the qualitative relationships among challenges presented and insights will help their prioritization by decision makers. However, additional in-depth quantitative analysis is necessary before measures identified to tackle the challenges could be effectively implemented.

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Agri-food scholarship: Past, present and future contributions to Australasian rural sociology

Journal of Sociology ◽

10.1177/14407833211009616 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 144078332110096

Author(s):

Kiah Smith ◽

Geoffrey Lawrence

Keyword(s):

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Food Systems ◽

Social Inequalities ◽

Food System ◽

Social Economic ◽

Rural Sociology ◽

Sociological Research ◽

Agricultural Technologies ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

The Future

The future of food and agriculture in Australasia will be defined by multiple social, economic, political and environmental tensions – with climate change and social inequalities playing a central role in the re-imagining of food systems in crisis. This article argues that rural sociology will continue to be well-served by the sociological research into the farming and food industries undertaken by antipodean scholars – especially those from Australia and New Zealand where agri-food scholarship has flourished. Analyses of the future dynamics of rural social/economic change, natural resource management (including land, water and minerals), new relations of work, labour and identity, emerging agricultural technologies, Indigenous and post-colonial politics, and food system governance will benefit from agri-food studies’ insights into agrarian transformation and governance, social and environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing, and the growth of resistance and alternatives.

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Land and Water Systems: Looking to the future and a more resilient and sustainable society and environment

10.31235/osf.io/ajs6q ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elisabetta Gotor ◽

Swamikannu Nedumaran ◽

Nicola Cenacchi ◽

Nhuong Tran ◽

Shahnila Dunston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Food Systems ◽

Water Systems ◽

Working Paper ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

The Future ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Time Changes ◽

Agriculture And Food ◽

Inform Decision Making

Food, land, and water systems are facing unprecedented change. The world’s population is projected to grow to approximately 10 billion people by 2050, while aging and declining in some regions. Global average incomes are expected to keep increasing at a slow but steady pace. With increasing incomes and the ability of consumers to purchase more and better food in combination with population growth, food demand is projected to grow substantially over the next three decades. Meanwhile, demographic changes and economic development also drive urbanization, migration, and structural transformation of rural communities. At the same time changes to precipitation and temperature as well as the occurrence of extreme events driven by climate change are becoming more prevalent and impacting society and the environment. Currently, humanity is approaching or exceeding planetary boundaries in some areas, with over-use of limited productive natural resources such as water and phosphate, net emissions of greenhouse gases, and decreases in biodiversityMuch is published about food and agriculture and the supporting/underpinning land and water systems, but no single source focuses regularly and systematically on the future of agriculture and food systems, particularly on the challenges and opportunities faced by developing countries. This working paper is part of an effort by the CGIAR foresight team to help fill that gap. The effort recognizes that there is much to learn from past experience, and there are clearly many urgent and immediate challenges, but given the pace and complexity of change we are currently experiencing, there is also an increasing need to look carefully into the future of food, land, and water systems to inform decision making today.

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City Region Food Systems: Building Resilience to COVID-19 and Other Shocks

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031325 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1325

Author(s):

Alison Blay-Palmer ◽

Guido Santini ◽

Jess Halliday ◽

Roman Malec ◽

Joy Carey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Systems ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Food System ◽

City Region ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Food And Agriculture Organization ◽

Entry Points ◽

System Sustainability ◽

United Nations Food

Using examples from the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper reviews the contribution a City Region Food Systems (CRFS) approach makes to regional sustainability and resilience for existing and future shocks including climate change. We include both explicit interventions under United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-RUAF) led initiatives, as well as ad hoc efforts that engage with elements of the CRFS approach. To provide context, we begin with a literature review of the CRFS approach followed by an overview of the global food crisis, where we outline many of the challenges inherent to the industrial capital driven food system. Next, we elaborate three key entry points for the CRFS approach—multistakeholder engagement across urban rural spaces; the infrastructure needed to support more robust CRFS; system centered planning, and, the role of policy in enabling (or thwarting) food system sustainability. The pandemic raises questions and provides insights about how to foster more resilient food systems, and provides lessons for the future for the City Region Food System approach in the context of others shocks including climate change.

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Delay Discounting in Impulsive Behavior

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000360 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 312-321 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Diana Moreira ◽

Fernando Barbosa

Keyword(s):

Delay Discounting ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Cochrane Collaboration ◽

Initial Assessment ◽

Impulsive Behavior ◽

Manual Search ◽

Study Results ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Future

Abstract. Delay discounting (DD) is the process of devaluing results that happen in the future. With this review, we intend to identify specificities in the processes of DD in impulsive behavior. Studies were retrieved from multiple literature databases, through rigorous criteria (we included systematic reviews and empirical studies with adult human subjects), following the procedures of the Cochrane Collaboration initiative. Of the 174 documents obtained, 19 were considered eligible for inclusion and were retained for in-depth analysis. In addition, 13 studies from the manual search were included. Thus, a total of 32 studies were selected for review. The objectives/hypotheses, results, and the main conclusion(s) were extracted from each study. Results show that people with pronounced traits of impulsivity discount rewards more markedly, that is, they prefer immediate rewards, though of less value, or postponed losses, even though they worsen in the future. Taken together, the existing data suggest the importance of inserting DD as a tool for initial assessment in conjunction with measures of addiction and stress level, as well as the consideration of new therapies.

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The Role of Research and Innovation in the Transformation of Agri-Food Systems

Annals ”Valahia” University of Targoviste - Agriculture ◽

10.2478/agr-2018-0019 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 60-63

Author(s):

Mariana Sandu ◽

Stefan Mantea

Keyword(s):

Technological Progress ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Agricultural Research ◽

Research And Innovation ◽

And Performance ◽

The Impact ◽

Determinant Factor ◽

Rapid Transformation

Abstract Agri-food systems include branching ramifications, which connect in the upstream the input suppliers with farmers, and downstream farmers, processors, retailers and consumers. In the last decades, at the level of the regions, food systems have undergone rapid transformation as a result of technological progress. The paper analyzes the changes made to the structure, behavior and performance of the agri-food system and the impact on farmers and consumers. Also, the role of agricultural research as a determinant factor of transformation of agri-food system is analyzed. The research objective is to develop technologies that cover the entire food chain (from farm to fork) and meet the specific requirements of consumers (from fork to farm) through scientific solutions in line with the principles of sustainable agriculture and ensuring the safety and food safety of the population.

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Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Culture in Managerial Processes Based on the Hofstede Model

International conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION ◽

10.2478/kbo-2020-0033 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 205-210

Author(s):

Dumitru Iancu ◽

Dorel Badea

Keyword(s):

Empirical Analysis ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Cultural Characteristics ◽

The Future ◽

Organizational Problem ◽

Cultural Structure

AbstractWe communicate and decide every day, but the complexity of the context in which we do these things is increasing. Today, the cultural structure of the organization’s members, due to the need to have competent employees in correlation with the established objectives, is somewhat puzzled and dynamical. Thus, the decision-makers must take into account (mandatory) the cultural basis of the subordinates when choosing the best alternative for solving an organizational problem. From this perspective, Hofstede’s model can be one of the explanatory modalities of the organization’s cultural characteristics as a basis to identify the action’s solutions in that organization for the future.

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Alkaloids as Anticancer Agents: A Review of Chinese Patents in Recent 5 Years

Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery ◽

10.2174/1574892815666200131120618 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 2-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hongyu Tao ◽

Ling Zuo ◽

Huanli Xu ◽

Cong Li ◽

Gan Qiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anticancer Activity ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Protein Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Cdk Inhibitors ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

P53 Expression ◽

Study Results

Background: In recent years, many novel alkaloids with anticancer activity have been found in China, and some of them are promising for developing as anticancer agents. Objective: This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the information about alkaloid anticancer agents disclosed in Chinese patents, and discusses their potential to be developed as anticancer drugs used clinically. Methods: Anticancer alkaloids disclosed in Chinese patents in recent 5 years were presented according to their mode of actions. Their study results published on PubMed, and SciDirect databases were presented. Results: More than one hundred anticancer alkaloids were disclosed in Chinese patents and their mode of action referred to arresting cell cycle, inhibiting protein kinases, affecting DNA synthesis and p53 expression, etc. Conclusion: Many newly found alkaloids displayed potent anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo, and some of the anticancer alkaloids acted as protein kinase inhibitors or CDK inhibitors possess the potential for developing as novel anticancer agents.

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Meaningful, but effective? A critical evaluation of Ireland’s citizens’ dialogues on the future of Europe

Politics ◽

10.1177/0263395721991483 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026339572199148

Author(s):

Anthony Costello

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Public Relations ◽

Public Discourse ◽

Critical Evaluation ◽

Participatory Approach ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Deliberative Process ◽

Political Will ◽

The Future

On the 25 March 2017, leaders of the EU27 and European Union (EU) institutions ratified the Rome Declaration. They committed to invite citizens to discuss Europe’s future and to provide recommendations that would facilitate their decision-makers in shaping their national positions on Europe. In response, citizens’ dialogues on the future of Europe were instituted across the Union to facilitate public participation in shaping Europe. This paper explores Ireland’s set of dialogues which took place during 2018. Although event organisers in Ireland applied a relatively atypical and more systematic and participatory approach to their dialogues, evidence suggests that Irelands’ dialogues were reminiscent of a public relations exercise which showcased the country’s commitment to incorporating citizens into the debate on Europe while avoiding a deliberative design which could have strengthened the quality of public discourse and the quality of public recommendations. Due to an absence of elite political will for a deliberative process, as well as structural weaknesses in design, participants’ recommendations lacked any clear and prescriptive direction which could shape Ireland’s national position on the future of Europe in any constructive or meaningful way.

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How do we know where there is potential to intervene and leverage impact in a changing system? The practitioners perspective

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-021-00956-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Birney

Keyword(s):

International Development ◽

Systems Change ◽

System Change ◽

Systems Dynamics ◽

Leverage Points ◽

Actionable Knowledge ◽

The Future ◽

Sustainability Challenges ◽

The Right ◽

Silver Bullet

AbstractMore and more people and organisations who are addressing complex sustainability challenges are turning to systems change practices. They are looking to get to grips with complexity and to better understand how to use their resources, position and influence to address the challenges. These people are working across civil society, philanthropy, business, international development, government and beyond. Many hope that adopting this emerging practice will give them the answers to the long held questions of – How do I know where to intervene? How do I know that what I am doing is the ‘right’ thing? Am I using my resources for their greatest effect? Once we have set ambitious goals around issues like inequality and climate change, how do I know I am creating impact?. In 1999 Donella Meadows wrote a paper entitled Leverage points: places to intervene in a system to help translate the work of systems dynamics into understanding where a small amount of energy might have a greater effect. Ever since, practitioners have been chasing these elusive leverage points trying to understand how this might be made useful and practical. There is, however, no silver bullet to changing a system. At Forum for the Future and through the School of System Change, we work on a number of different projects such as the Protein Challenge and Boundless Roots Community as well as collaborate on, coach and co-inquire with others such as the Marine CoLAB, Oneless, Lankelly Chase Foundation. In this paper we seek to build on systems change ideas and theories, using Forum for the Future experience of working with these ideas in practice, and offer actionable knowledge (Coghlan 2007) to other change makers who are grappling with these questions. This paper provides four qualities that help us understand the dynamics of a changing system, and how potential in these dynamics might be identified and be translated into strategy and interventions. I explore and illustrate these through cases and examples and raise the question about how change makers might value what we measure when understanding impact in the context of a changing system.

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