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| 2. |
- van Ittersum, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Integrated Assessment of Agricultural and Environmental Policies – A Modular Framework for the EU (SEAMLESS)
- 2008
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Ingår i: Agricultural Systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 0308-521X. ; 96:1-3, s. 150-165
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract in UndeterminedAgricultural systems continuously evolve and are forced to change as a result of a range of global and local driving forces. Agricultural technologies and agricultural, environmental and rural development policies are increasingly designed to contribute to the sustainability of agricultural systems and to enhance contributions of agricultural systems to sustainable development at large. The effectiveness and efficiency of such policies and technological developments in realizing desired contributions could be greatly enhanced if the quality of their ex-ante assessments were improved. Four key challenges and requirements to make research tools more useful for integrated assessment in the European Union were defined in interactions between scientists and the European Commission (EC), i.e., overcoming the gap between micro-macro level analysis, the bias in integrated assessments towards either economic or environmental issues, the poor re-use of models and hindrances in technical linkage of models. Tools for integrated assessment must have multi-scale capabilities and preferably be generic and flexible such that they can deal with a broad variety of policy questions. At the same time, to be useful for scientists, the framework must facilitate state-of-the-art science both on aspects of the agricultural systems and on integration. This paper presents the rationale, design and illustration of a component-based framework for agricultural systems (SEAMLESS Integrated Framework) to assess, ex-ante, agricultural and agri-environmental policies and technologies across a range of scales, from field-farm to region and European Union, as well as some global interactions. We have opted for a framework to link individual model and data components and a software infrastructure that allows a flexible (re-)use and linkage of components. The paper outlines the software infrastructure, indicators and model and data components. The illustrative example assesses effects of a trade liberalisation proposal on EU's agriculture and indicates how SEAMLESS addresses the four identified challenges for integrated assessment tools, i.e., linking micro and macro analysis, assessing economic, environmental, social and institutional indicators, (re-)using standalone model components for field, farm and market analysis and their conceptual and technical linkage.
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| 3. |
- Alkan Olsson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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A goal oriented indicator framework to support integrated assessment of new policies for agri-environmental systems
- 2009
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 1462-9011. ; 12:5, s. 562-572
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The goal oriented framework (GOF) for indicators has been developed as part of a comprehensive research project developing computerised tools for integrated assessment of the effects of new policies or technologies on agricultural systems (SEAMLESS-IF). The ambition has therefore been to create an indicator framework where the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainable development can be related to each other in a consistent way. Integrated assessment tools rely on such frameworks to capture and visualise trade-offs (antagonisms or synergies) among indicators between and within the three dimensions of sustainable development. The specific aims of this paper are to (i) present the GOF (ii) present how the GOF can be used to select indicators within the integrated assessment framework SEAMLESS-IF and (iii) discuss the advantages and limitations with the proposed approach. We show that the GOF has several advantages. Its major rewards are its relative simplicity and the possibility to link indicators to policy goals of each dimension of sustainability and thereby facilitate the comparison of the impacts of the new policy on the different dimensions. Another important feature of the GOF is its multi-scale perspective, which will enable the comparison of effects of a new policy between scales. Yet, as typical for all indicator frameworks, the GOF has also biases either instigated by the issues the included models cover or by the stakeholders' selection of indicators. However, due to the way the GOF and its indicators are technically implemented in SEAMLESS-IF, it can easily be extended and include new indicators to increase and update its policy relevance. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Alkan Olsson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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How participatory can participatory modeling be? Degrees of influence of stakeholder and expert perspectives in six dimensions of participatory modeling
- 2007
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Ingår i: Water Science and Technology. - : IWA Publishing. - 0273-1223 .- 1996-9732. ; 56:1, s. 207-214
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The authors are involved in a project aiming at the development of a methodology for participatory modeling as a tool for public participation in water resource management. In this paper, some examples of different degrees of stakeholder influence in six key dimensions of participatory modeling are identified and discussed. Arnstein's (A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 1969, 4, 216–224) critical discussion of different degrees of “real” decision-making power is taken as a point of departure to assess possible degrees of stakeholder influence. Can we as participatory modelers be sure that we are really inviting our research objects to an equal communicative relationship where local perspectives, knowledge and priorities are respected to the same extent as central and/or expert perspectives? This paper presents an approach that could be used as a tool for structured reflection to avoid unreflective tendencies towards expert knowledge dominance and low degree of stakeholders' real influence over the process.
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| 7. |
- Alkan Olsson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Local stakeholders acceptance of model-generated data used as a communication tool in water management: The Ronnea study
- 2005
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Ingår i: Ambio. - : Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 34:7, s. 507-512
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study was to increase the knowledge of local stakeholders acceptance of model-generated data when used as a communication tool in water quality management. The Ronnea catchment in the southwest of Sweden was chosen as the study area. The results indicate the model-generated data served as a uniting factor. Simultaneously, the stakeholders were concerned with presented data, the main problems being sources of pollution, which were not accounted for, lack of trustworthiness when measuring pollution, and the uncertainty of the impact of natural variation and delayed effects. Four clusters of factors were identified as influencing stakeholders acceptance of the model-generated data: confidence in its practical applications, confidence in the people involved in or providing material for the dialog (such as experts, decision-makers, and media), the social characteristics of the participants (such as age and profession), and the way of communicating the data (such as tone of communication, group composition, duration, and geographical scope of the dialog). The perception of the fairness of the practical application of given model-generated data was also an important factor for acceptance.
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| 9. |
- Alkan Olsson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Plan for Using and Dissemination of Knowledge, D0.3.1, SEAMLESS integrated project
- 2007
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The SEAMLESS project has high ambitions both concerning its scientific goals and its aim to create an impact assessment tool that can be useful in future policy making in the agrienvironmental area. Interaction between researchers and the society therefore is a crucial component of the project. In the last phase of the SEAMLESS project the dissemination of knowledge produced in the project becomes particularly important. The general objective of this Deliverable is to present the aim, topic, form, timing and responsible persons of different dissemination activities, aiming at assembling information from the policy community and at enhancing the use and dissemination of knowledge produced by the SEAMLESS project. The report covers the following main themes: • Interaction with the policy community where we separate between interactions with the User forum, targeted meetings with specialists, National Ministries and regional authorities, European Organisations as well as other users, such as Farmers organisations. • Interactions with the scientific community where we outline the SEAMLESS contributions to conferences, SEAMLESS related publications and the final Symposium that the project will organise at the end of the project. • Cooperation with other projects and how it can be strengthened during the last phase of the project. • Communication tools implemented by the project such as the SEAMLESS portal and website, the Newsletters as well as other means of communication.
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| 10. |
- Alkan Olsson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Possibilities and problems with the use of models as a communication tool in water resource management
- 2007
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Ingår i: Water Resources Management. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0920-4741 .- 1573-1650. ; 21:97, s. 97-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Politicians and policy-makers, as well as modellers, often nurses an expectation that model derived results is an objective source of information that can be used to support decisions. However, several prerequisites have to be dealt with in order to ensure that models can be used as legitimate and efficient tools in water resource management. Based on empirical material from recent studies on the use of models in stakeholder dialogues, mainly focusing on catchment nutrient transport, two central problems are identified: (a) Models are laden with choices and thus depend on assumptions and priorities of modellers. (b) There are several factors that influence ability and willingness of stakeholders (as information recovers) to criticize or accept results of the modelling exercise. Recognized factors likely to influence stakeholders' acceptance of model derived results include issues at stake, stakeholders' ability to criticize model derived information, and their trust in the institutions that have developed or applied the used models. Identified prerequisites for successful use of models in integrated water resource management include: consideration of user relevance, awareness of and preparedness to handle constraints linked to communication of model-based results, transparency of used models and data and of involved uncertainties, mutual respect between experts and stakeholders and between involved stakeholder groups, a robust institutional network, and sufficient time for dialogues. Development and use of strategies for participatory modelling, based on a continuous dialogue between experts and stakeholders is recommended as a way to facilitate that the prerequisites for a successful use of models in water resource management are fulfilled.
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