The Impacts of Biofuel Expansion on the Resilience of Social-Ecological Systems in Ethiopia

Abstract This thesis investigates biofuel expansion as a disturbance to the resilience of social-ecological systems. Examining this issue through a resilience framework illustrates the dynamics of such systems, identifying potential trade-offs and regime shifts. Additionally, this research highlights the differentiated impacts for actors across multiple scales, allowing power relations to be taken into account – the lack of which is a common criticism of resilience studies. The thesis presents a systems analysis of sugarcane-ethanol expansion in Ethiopia at the current and planned levels of production, incorporating both the production and consumption sub-systems. To create an integrated systems analysis multiple methods were utilised between 2010 and 2012 to collect primary data – household surveys and interviews in multiple localities and interviews with key stakeholders, supplemented with documentary evidence. The production sub-system analysis incorporates food system impacts at the household scale and ecological impacts at the regional scale, whilst the consumption sub-system analysis investigates the impacts of ethanol adoption as a household fuel. The findings of these analyses are then synthesised in a resilience assessment at the national scale. The results show that current levels of sugarcane and ethanol production have not surpassed the majority of potential critical thresholds that would induce regime shifts. Therefore, most of the sub-systems under study, and actors within them, are resilient to the perturbation of biofuel expansion to date. However, a detrimental regime shift is underway for pastoralists being relocated for sugarcane expansion. The planned expansion will replicate this regime shift across a much larger population. In addition, the larger scale of operation will more severely influence the ecological sub-system. The analysis of multiple nested scales using a resilience model demonstrates the need to examine all scales to highlight the winners and losers, as only examining one scale conceals the dynamic nature of interactions

Resilience characteristics of the urban agriculture system in Lansing, Michigan: Importance of support actors in local food systems

Urban agriculture is a growing movement in cities across the United States, including the post-industrial Midwest. Maintaining a resilient local food system is a challenge given the environmental, resource, and institutional barriers facing urban farmers. In this descriptive correlational study, we take an in-depth look at the demographics, farm characteristics, motivations, barriers, and resilience indicators of individuals in the urban agriculture system in Lansing, Michigan, a city of the US Midwest with a growing urban agriculture system. Survey responses (n = 92) revealed that support actors, community gardeners, and farmers have descriptive differences in their motivations, with support actors (e.g. non-profits, university extension, or municipalities) being most strongly motivated by social and environmental justice. Community gardeners reported the lowest barriers to engaging in urban agriculture. Individuals who reported stronger motivations for building community and social and environmental justice showed significant correlations to several resilience indicators, indicating that those motivations may be important to system resilience. Urban agriculture support agencies report high barriers and are most often consulted for informational and social support. These results can inform recommendations for organizations, local governments, and researchers working in midwestern urban agriculture initiatives to better assess and promote a thriving system into the futur

Studying the complexity of change: toward an analytical framework for understanding deliberate social-ecological transformations

Faced with numerous seemingly intractable social and environmental challenges, many scholars and practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding how to actively engage and transform the existing systems holding such problems in place. Although a variety of analytical models have emerged in recent years, most emphasize either the social or ecological elements of such transformations rather than their coupled nature. To address this, first we have presented a definition of the core elements of a social-ecological system (SES) that could potentially be altered in a transformation. Second, we drew on insights about transformation from three branches of literature focused on radical change, i.e., social movements, socio-technical transitions, and social innovation, and gave consideration to the similarities and differences with the current studies by resilience scholars. Drawing on these findings, we have proposed a framework that outlines the process and phases of transformative change in an SES. Future research will be able to utilize the framework as a tool for analyzing the alteration of social-ecological feedbacks, identifying critical barriers and leverage points and assessing the outcome of social-ecological transformations

Panarchy theory for convergence

Coping with surprise and uncertainty resulting from the emergence of undesired and unexpected novelty or the sudden reorganization of systems at multiple spatiotemporal scales requires both a scientific process that can incorporate diverse expertise and viewpoints, and a scientific framework that can account for the structure and dynamics of interacting social-ecological systems (SES) and the inherent uncertainty of what might emerge in the future. We argue that combining a convergence scientific process with a panarchy framework provides a pathway for improving our understanding of, and response to, emergence. Emergent phenomena are often unexpected (e.g., pandemics, regime shifts) and can be highly disruptive, so can pose a significant challenge to the development of sustainable and resilient SES. Convergence science is a new approach promoted by the U.S. National Science Foundation for tackling complex problems confronting humanity through the integration of multiple perspectives, expertise, methods, tools, and analytical approaches. Panarchy theory is a framework useful for studying emergence, because it characterizes complex systems of people and nature as dynamically organized and structured within and across scales of space and time. It accounts for the fundamental tenets of complex systems and explicitly grapples with emergence, including the emergence of novelty, and the emergent property of social-ecological resilience. We provide an overview of panarchy, convergence science, and emergence. We discuss the significant data and methodological challenges of using panarchy in a convergence approach to address emergent phenomena, as well as state-of-the-art methods for overcoming them. We present two examples that would benefit from such an approach: climate change and its impacts on social-ecological systems, and the relationships between infectious disease and social-ecological systems

What evidence exists on the impacts of regenerative agriculture practices on greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural yield in temperate farming systems?: A Systematic Map Protocol

Balancing food production and reaching net-zero in agricultural systems is a major societal challenge. Regenerative agriculture (RA) is an approach to farming that focuses (with varying emphasis) on topsoil protection and regeneration, biodiversity recovery, and enhancement of ecosystem services. RA aims to sustainably produce food, increase farm resilience and contribute to the overall health of the environment, and may hold potential to aid progress towards net-zero. Researchers are increasingly interested in RA practices, yet evidence is disparate, difficult to access for non-academics and has not been clearly summarised, creating uncertainty and risk among farmers. Furthermore, measuring the contribution of RA to reaching net-zero is hampered by a lack of readily available, transparent and collated evidence of impacts. Specifically, there is a lack of collated information on how RA can: (i) reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thus aiding in reaching net-zero targets; and (ii) affect agricultural yields, which is vital for farm businesses. Here we ask how five practices, representative of regenerative agriculture, affect greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural yield in temperate farming systems. We drew upon the regenerative agriculture philosophy outlined by, among others, the Royal Agricultural Society of England (see: https://www.rase.org.uk/news/the-principles-of-regenerative-agriculture/). This philosophy outlines five principles of regenerative agriculture (minimise soil disturbance; keep soil covered; maintain living roots in the soil; maximise plant diversity; reintroduce livestock). These five principles formed our starting point. To each of these we matched what we deemed to be a representative farming practice, as follows: Minimise soil disturbance - Adopt minimum or zero tillage Keep soil covered - Utilise cover crops Maintain living roots in the soil - Incorporate under-sowing Maximise plant diversity - Incorporate intercropping Reintroduce livestock - (Re-) Integrate livestock Here, we aim to map the evidence for these five representative practices on greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural yield

Welcome home! Introducing SocSES: a society for inclusive and impactful social-ecological research

Underpinned by systemic thinking, social-ecological systems (SES) research has emerged as a critical field for addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene, marked by a cross-scale focus, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, and a strong emphasis on place-based work. Thanks to the efforts of many networks and institutes, the field has advanced new theoretical and methodological approaches, fostered dedicated journals, and spurred educational programs. It has also significantly influenced sustainability initiatives and policy from local to global scales, and has richly informed place-based efforts. Despite this progress, SES research faces persistent challenges, including conceptual and methodological fragmentation, difficulty in scaling localized insights to global frameworks (and vice versa), and capturing cross-scale connections and processes while retaining contextual relevance. Inclusivity also remains a critical issue, with regional, Indigenous, and local contributions often underrepresented, as there is still a reliance on short-term, inequitably distributed grant funding for much of the research in the field. This paper introduces the Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES), a global platform designed to build on and connect to the rich legacy of SES networks. SocSES aims to advance and support SES–based research, practice, and action toward a just and sustainable future. We outline how SocSES will provide a home for SES institutes, networks, researchers, and practitioners working at the science-practice-policy interface to connect and amplify existing efforts through thematic streams, regional hubs, an institutional hub, an early-career professionals hub, and synthesis groups. The society will provide a stable infrastructure to foster interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration, enhance the generalizability and policy relevance of SES research, bolster education, research, and knowledge co-production, and support the next generation of SES professionals. By addressing the persistent challenges facing the field and fostering transformative spaces and communities for innovation and action, SocSES aspires to support and leverage SES knowledge as a cornerstone of global sustainability science.Die Forschung zu sozial-ökologischen Systemen (SES) ist zu einem bedeutenden interdisziplinären Feld geworden, das sich mit vernetzten Herausforderungen des Anthropozäns auseinandersetzt. Geprägt von raumbezogener, inter- und transdisziplinärer Forschung hat die SES Forschung neue theoretische und methodische Ansätze vorangetrieben, einschlägige Fachzeitschriften hervorgebracht und Bildungsprogramme angeregt. Basierend auf wichtigen konzeptionellen Fortschritten und den Beiträgen von wegweisenden Forschungsnetzwerken hat das Feld globale Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen wie das Millennium Ecosystem Assessment und die Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services maßgeblich geprägt. Trotz der erzielten Fortschritte sieht sich die SES Forschung weiterhin mit verschiedenen Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Dazu gehören die konzeptionelle und methodische Fragmentierung, die Schwierigkeiten bei der Übertragung lokaler Erkenntnisse auf globale Rahmenbedingungen (und umgekehrt), sowie die Erfassung skalenübergreifenden Telekopplungen, ohne dabei die kontextuelle Relevanz zu verlieren. Die inklusive Beteiligung bleibt ein kritisches Thema, in dem regionale, indigene und lokale Beiträge oft unterrepräsentiert sind. Dies liegt daran, dass ein Großteil der Forschung in diesem Bereich nach wie vor auf kurzfristige, ungleich verteilte Fördermittel angewiesen ist. In diesem Artikel wird die Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES) vorgestellt - eine globale Plattform, die auf dem reichen Erbe der SES-Netzwerke aufbauen und daran anknüpfen soll. SocSES hat das Ziel, die Forschung, Praxis und Maßnahmen im Bereich sozial-ökologischer Systeme zu fördern und zu unterstützen, um eine gerechte und nachhaltige Zukunft zu gestalten. Wir skizzieren, wie die SocSES eine Heimat für SES-Institute, -Netzwerke, -Forscher*innen und -Praktiker*innen bieten wird, die an der Schnittstelle von Wissenschaft und Praxis arbeiten. Durch den Aufbau von “thematic streams”, “regional hubs” und “institutional hubs” ist die SocSES eine Vernetzungsplattform für wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs und “synthesis groups”. Die Gesellschaft wird eine stabile Infrastruktur bereitstellen, um die inter- und transdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit zu fördern, die Verallgemeinerbarkeit und politische Relevanz der SES Forschung zu verbessern, Bildung, Forschung und Wissens-Koproduktion zu stärken und die nächste Generation von SES Experten zu unterstützen. Indem SocSES die bestehenden Herausforderungen im Feld angeht und transformative Räume und Gemeinschaften für Innovation fördert, möchte die neu gegründete Gesellschaft das Wissen über sozial-ökologische Systeme als fundamentalen Bestandteil einer globalen Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft stärken und zur Verfügung stellen.La investigación de sistemas socio-ecológicos (SSE) ha surgido como un campo de conocimiento interdisciplinario fundamental para abordar los múltiples desafíos interconectados del Antropoceno. Este campo de conocimiento, caracterizado por la investigación basada en el lugar (place-based), inter- y transdisciplinaria, ha aportado y avanzado nuevos enfoques teóricos y metodológicos, ha promovido la creación de revistas científicas, y estimulado programas educativos. Enraizado en los avances conceptuales y en las contribuciones de redes académicas fundacionales, este campo de conocimiento ha influido significativamente en iniciativas globales para la sostenibilidad, como son la Evaluación de los Ecosistemas de Milenio, la Plataforma Intergubernamental sobre Biodiversidad y Servicios de los Ecosistemas (IPBES). Sin embargo, y a pesar de estos avances, la investigación de SSE sigue enfrentándose a desafíos persistentes, como la fragmentación conceptual y metodológica, la dificultad de trasladar los aprendizajes localizados a marcos globales (y viceversa), y de captar los fenómenos de tele-acoplamiento reteniendo la relevancia del contexto local. Otro aspecto crítico que requiere atención es la inclusión, ya que las contribuciones de conocimientos locales, indígenas y regionales siguen estando sub-representadas, y gran parte de la investigación en este campo sigue dependiendo de financiaciones a corto plazo distribuidas de forma desigual. Este artículo presenta la Sociedad de Sistemas Socio-Ecológicos (SocSES, por sus siglas en inglés), una plataforma global concebida para construir sobre y conectar con el rico legado de las redes que han trabajado y trabajan en SSE. El objetivo de SocSES es fomentar y apoyar la investigación de los SSE, la práctica y la acción basadas en el estudio de SSE para fomentar un futuro sostenible y justo. Aquí esbozamos cómo SocSES proporcionará un ‘hogar’ para institutos, redes, investigadores y profesionales que trabajan con SSE en la interfaz ciencia-práctica-política, permitiendo conectarse y amplificar los esfuerzos existentes a través de líneas temáticas, centros de actividad (‘hubs’) regionales, institucionales y para profesionales en el inicio de su carrera, así como mediante grupos de síntesis. SocSES proveerá de una infraestructura estable para promover colaboración intery transdisciplinaria, promoverá la relevancia política de la investigación de SSE, fomentará la educación, investigación, y co-producción de conocimiento, y apoyará a las generaciones venideras de profesionales en el campo de SSE. Al abordar los retos persistentes a los que se enfrenta el campo de SSE y fomentar espacios y comunidades transformadores para la innovación y la acción, SocSES aspira a apoyar y potenciar el conocimiento sobre SSE como piedra angular de la ciencia de la sostenibilidad global

Resilience of Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Country Contexts: A Framework and Assessment Approach

Although agricultural value chain resilience is a crucial component to food security and sustainable food systems in developing countries, it has received little attention. This paper synthesizes knowledge from the social-ecological systems (SES), supply chain management, and value chain development literature to make three contributions to this research gap. First, we conceptualize agricultural value chain resilience and relate it to overall food system resilience. Second, we identify seven principles that are hypothesized to contribute to SES resilience, relate them to supply chain management theory, and discuss their application in agricultural value chains. A key insight is that the appropriateness of these principles are important to assess on a case-by-case basis, and depend in part on trade-offs between resilience and other dimensions of value chain performance. Third, we integrate two common tools, the Resilience Alliance’s assessment framework and value chain analysis techniques, to outline an adaptable participatory approach for assessing the resilience of agricultural value chains in developing countries. The objectives of the approach are to cultivate a chain-wide awareness for past and potential disturbances that could affect food security and other essential services provided by the value chain, and to identify upgrades that can build resilience against these key disturbances

Blurring the boundaries: cross-scale analyses of food systems

The globalized and interconnected nature of food systems provides many examples of panarchies within social-ecological systems. However, few are analyzed using panarchy theory, particularly urban food systems, or in a comparative manner. We aimed to broaden the examination of cross-scale dynamics of food systems by applying panarchy theory through comparative study of three urban food systems: Flint, Michigan, Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These are all post-industrial Rust Belt cities that have experienced similar economic downturns but have responded in different ways, which has created significantly different food system outcomes. We present an approach for applying panarchy theory in food systems, and identifying indicators of potential and connectedness at multiple scales with sources for such data. We analyzed available data and demonstrate how the economic history of these cities has influenced their food system outcomes today. Economic recovery at the city scale in Pittsburgh/Allegheny County was reflected in reorganization in the food system, while the lack of economic recovery in Flint/Genesee County and the uneven access to economic recovery in Cleveland/Cuyahoga County potentially placed the cities and their food systems in lock-in traps. We also reflect on the limitations of publicly available data at the city scale for the food system and over time. Overlooking such gaps may blur boundaries within a panarchy analysis and lead to assumptions about cities based on county data which might not be accurate or may hide critical variables such as race or geographic size. We caution researchers to be clear about scale in panarchy analyses and to acknowledge the limitations of current data sets and thus the importance of mixed methods primary data collection. The incorporation of place and historical context into panarchy analyses can lend valuable explanatory power to our understanding of cross-scale dynamics in food systems