scholarly journals Scenario Planning for Climate Adaptation in Agricultural Systems

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 274
Author(s):  
Laura Schmitt Olabisi ◽  
Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke ◽  
Onyinye Prince Choko ◽  
Stella Nwawulu Chiemela ◽  
Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Strategic Action ◽  
Southeastern Nigeria ◽  
Minimal Data ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
African Agriculture ◽  
High Uncertainty

Effective climate adaptation in sub-Saharan African agriculture will require coordination across multiple scales of governance. Decision-makers from local to national scales will be tasked with planning under conditions of high uncertainty, often with minimal data. Participatory scenario planning is a method for devising adaptation strategies under high uncertainty, and we hypothesized that it could also be used for identifying systemic, inclusive, and transformative adaptation options at the community scale, and for highlighting opportunities for cross-scalar collaboration. We conducted scenario exercises with two communities in southeastern Nigeria that have experienced increasing flooding and other challenges linked to climate variability. Both communities identified drivers of change that intersect with climate, as well as community-scale actions that would improve adaptation to a range of future scenarios. We found evidence that scenario exercises can stimulate communities to develop transformative approaches to climate adaptation that seek to reduce climate risk by creating new systems and processes. We also found that community-identified priorities for strategic action highlight how larger-scale interventions could coordinate with communities to adapt more effectively. Participatory scenario planning is therefore a potentially important tool for adaptation planning in regions in which future conditions are highly uncertain.

scholarly journals Creating Useful and Usable Weather and Climate Information: Insights from Participatory Scenario Planning in Malawi

2021 ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
Dorothy Tembo-Nhlema ◽  
Katharine Vincent ◽  
Rebecka Henriksson
Keyword(s):  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Seasonal Forecasts ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Demonstration Effect ◽  
Initial Investigation ◽  
Usable Information ◽  
Weather And Climate ◽  
Grassroots Level

AbstractFor climate information to be used at the grassroots level, it needs to be understood, collectively interpreted and effectively communicated. Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) is one method of co-producing useful and usable sectoral and livelihood advisories for decision-makers, based on locally downscaled weather (typically seasonal forecasts). The chapter outlines an initial investigation into the history and application of PSP in Malawi, finding that it can generate useful and usable information that is deemed credible, legitimate and salient by its intended users. Its usability is reinforced through the demonstration effect which leads to even sceptical farmers adopting it after they have witnessed proof of its effectiveness from early adopters. In Malawi, the sustainability of PSP is threatened due to limited integration in planning frameworks and reliance on projects, hence need for a mechanism to ensure its regular occurrence and embeddedness in formal governance structures.

An Overview of Population Growth and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

2018 ◽  
pp. 480-499
Author(s):  
Vincent Sebastian Pande ◽  
Neema Penance Kumburu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Realistic Approach ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
A Priority ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Ssa Countries

Development efforts in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are harmed by a combination of many factors, high rates of population growth being among of them. Despite the strong links between population and sustainable development, these issues were not a priority in broader development policies and strategies in SSA. Population and sustainable development had been often addressed separately at policy and programme levels. Despite the fact that decision makers in these countries recognize the importance of population issues for sustainable development, these issues are rarely worked on together, limiting the payoff that could result from integrating the two. This chapter, therefore, re-examines and relates these two concepts to see their compatibility and provides a more realistic approach in converting population growth into economic gains for future development of SSA countries and Africa in general.

CAMCE

2011 ◽  
pp. 621-629
Author(s):  
Alessia D’Andrea ◽  
Fernando Ferri ◽  
Patrizia Grifoni
Keyword(s):  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Support Program ◽  
European Level ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Common Information ◽  
Common Information Space ◽  
System Maintenance ◽  
Share Information ◽  
The Web

There is a growing need to collaborate at national and European level for solutions connected with risks and problems due to climate changes. This need is leading to creation of Web platforms in which experts, stakeholders, decision-makers and overall citizens can collaboratively share information. This common information space on the Web can be used for planning, managing, evaluating and using services devoted to the protection and safeguarding of critical infrastructures (i.e. the supply of energy and water, sewage system maintenance). Keeping this purpose in mind, the chapter proposes a framework that provides a web-based collaborative opportunity for decision support, program management and collaboration for climate adaptation, mitigation and citizens’ education.

Igbo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chima J. Korieh
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Gender Ideology ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
British Colonialism ◽  
Southeastern Nigeria ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Historical Developments ◽  
The 19Th Century

The Igbo-speaking people inhabit most of southeastern Nigeria. Their political economy and culture have been shaped by their long history of habitation in the forest region. Important themes relating to the Igbo past have centered on the question of origin, the agrarian bases of their economy, the decentralized and acephalous structure of their political organization, an achievement-based social system rooted in their traditional humane living, and a fluid gender ideology that recognized male and female roles as complementary rather than oppositional. The Igbo contributed to major historical developments including the development of agriculture, the Bantu migration, and its influence in the making of Bantu cultural areas in sub-Saharan Africa. On the global arena, the Igbo contributed significantly to the transformation of the New World through the Atlantic slave trade and the making of New World cultures. The Igbo made the transition to palm oil production in the postabolition era, thereby contributing to the industrialization of Europe as well as linking their society to the global capitalist economy from the 19th century. The Igbo encounter with Europeans continued through British colonialism, and their struggle to maintain their autonomy would shape British colonialism in Nigeria and beyond. The postcolonial era has been a time of crisis for the Igbo in Nigeria. They were involved in a civil war with Nigeria, known as the Nigeria-Biafra war, and experienced mass killing and genocide but continued to be resilient, drawing from their history and shared experience.

scholarly journals Does China’s Urban Development Satisfy Zipf’s Law? A Multiscale Perspective from the NPP-VIIRS Nighttime Light Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yizhen Wu ◽  
Mingyue Jiang ◽  
Zhijian Chang ◽  
Yuanqing Li ◽  
Kaifang Shi
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Zipf’S Law ◽  
Zipf's Law ◽  
Nighttime Light Data ◽  
Nighttime Light ◽  
Zipf Law ◽  
The Ideal

Currently, whether the urban development in China satisfies Zipf’s law across different scales is still unclear. Thus, this study attempted to explore whether China’s urban development satisfies Zipf’s law across different scales from the National Polar-Orbiting Partnership’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) nighttime light data. First, the NPP-VIIRS data were corrected. Then, based on the Zipf law model, the corrected NPP-VIIRS data were used to evaluate China’s urban development at multiple scales. The results showed that the corrected NPP-VIIRS data could effectively reflect the state of urban development in China. Additionally, the Zipf index (q) values, which could express the degree of urban development, decreased from 2012 to 2018 overall in all provinces, prefectures, and counties. Since the value of q was relatively close to 1 with an R2 value > 0.70, the development of the provinces and prefectures was close to the ideal Zipf’s law state. In all counties, q > 1 with an R2 value > 0.70, which showed that the primate county had a relatively stronger monopoly capacity. When the value of q < 1 with a continuous declination in the top 2000 counties, the top 250 prefectures, and the top 20 provinces in equilibrium, there was little difference in the scale of development at the multiscale level with an R2 > 0.90. The results enriched our understanding of urban development in terms of Zipf’s law and had valuable implications for relevant decision-makers and stakeholders.

School on Geoethics and Natural Issues

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Peppoloni ◽  
Giuseppe Di Capua ◽  
Peter T. Bobrowsky
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Social Utility ◽  
School Students ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable Development

&lt;p&gt;Founded on July 2019, the &amp;#8220;School on Geoethics and Natural Issue&amp;#8221; (http://www.geoethics.org/geoethics-school) is a scientific, international, multicultural and multidisciplinary meeting place for teaching and learning of the principles and values of geoethics in the light of the philosophy and history of Earth sciences. Its intent is to provide background knowledge and the evaluation skills necessary to understand the complex relationship between human action on ecosystems and the decisions geoscientists make in the discipline that impact society, including improving the awareness of professionals, students, decision-makers, media operators, and the public on an accountable and ecologically sustainable development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The School on geoethics, conformed to the Geoethical Promise (http://www.geoethics.org/geopromise) and the Cape Town Statement on Geoethics (http://www.geoethics.org/ctsg), aims to provide excellent education in geoethics (http://www.geoethics.org/definition), thus promoting the development of a scientific and critical attitude to the knowledge of the Earth and its constituent systems, by fostering a growth of awareness and responsibility towards the planet, education in the values and actions underlying a respect for ecosystems, including responsible use of resources, management of natural risks, reduction of pollution and its repercussions on human health and climate, adaptation to environmental changes, in view of an accountable and ecologically sustainable development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moreover, it provides the opportunity to deepen reflection on the sense and social utility of geosciences, analyzing their rational categories, values, possible perspectives, uncertainties and cognitive limits, and to learn and develop more responsible strategies, operating procedures and practical actions, that are compatible with respect for socio-ecological systems, the vocation of the territories, including the health and safety of human communities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The courses are addressed to different categories of users: they can be useful to both secondary school students and university undergraduate/graduate students in disciplines that deal with the environment from different perspectives (planning, naturalist, geo-biological, landscape, architectural, legislative, educational, cultural and relative to communication). Scholars of the phenomena and processes of the planet (researchers, academics, scientists), as well as those who physically operate in the territories (various types of professionals, geologists, engineers, landscape architects, risk experts, media operators, decision-makers) can find valid support to their scientific and professional preparation in the courses. Finally, the School on geoethics is also aimed at the general public and others, including non-experts, who are interested in better understanding the bond that links human communities to ecosystems, within the perspective of responsible development.&lt;/p&gt;

Toward an integrated science and sociotecture of intentional change

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Costanza ◽  
Paul Atkins
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Sociocultural Change ◽  
Integrated Science ◽  
Positive Difference ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Affective Processes ◽  
Intentional Change ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractWe heartily agree with the target article and focus on how positive sociocultural change can be accelerated through the systematic use of scenario planning – what we call sociotecture. Scenario planning is a design process for the creation and selection of symbotypes that make a positive difference. It cuts through complexity by integrating cognitive and affective processes across multiple scales.

China's Engagement in African Agriculture: “Down to the Countryside”

2009 ◽  
Vol 199 ◽  
pp. 686-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Bräutigam ◽  
Tang Xiaoyang
Keyword(s):  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mutual Benefit ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Rural Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
African Agriculture ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Economic Engagement

AbstractAgriculture is a rapidly growing arena for China's economic engagement in Africa. Drawing on new field research in East and West Africa, and in Beijing and Baoding, China, as well as earlier archival research, this article investigates the dimensions of China's agricultural engagement, placing it in historical perspective. It traces the changes and continuities in China's policies in rural Africa since the 1960s, as Chinese policies moved from fraternal socialism to amicable capitalism. Beginning in the 1980s, the emphasis on aid as mutual benefit began to blur the lines between aid, south–south co-operation and investment. Today, Beijing has established at least 14 new agro-technical demonstration stations using an unusual public–private model that policy makers hope will assist sustainability. At the same time, a stirring of interest among land-scarce Chinese farmers and investors in developing farms in sub-Saharan Africa evokes a mix of anticipation and unease.

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