Inmagic DB/Text WebPublisher PRO: 7 records

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1 Sesan, T.; Sanfo, S.; Sikhwivhilu, K.; Dakyaga, F.; Aziz, F.; Yirenya-Tawiah, D.; Badu, M.; Derbile, E.; Ojoyi, M.; Ibrahim, B.; Adamou, R. 2022. Mediating knowledge co-production for inclusive governance and delivery of food, water and energy services in African cities. Urban Forum, 33(3):281-307. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-021-09440-w]

Foods ; Water supply ; Energy ; Governance ; Frameworks ; Sustainable development ; Towns ; Transdisciplinary research ; Stakeholders ; Infrastructure / Africa / South Africa / Zambia / Burkina Faso / Ghana / Johannesburg / Kitwe / Ouagadougou / Tamale

(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051395)

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12132-021-09440-w.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051395.pdf

(2.51 MB) (2.51 MB)

Rising rates of urbanisation in Africa, without attendant improvements in critical infrastructure, have occasioned gaps in the provision of basic services in cities across the continent. Different systems and scales of service delivery — decentralised and centralised, public and private — coexist and often compete in urban spaces but rarely connect in ways that ensure the needs of the poorest are met. Our paper interrogates the value of transdisciplinary research for bringing actors in these systems together to co-produce knowledge for inclusive and sustainable outcomes. Drawing on empirical data from two complementary projects in four African cities, we demonstrate the possibilities for facilitating this kind of knowledge co-production among system actors in the food, water and energy domains. We show, through a comparative approach, elements of the co-production process that enable more responsive engagement by traditionally detached policy actors. From our findings, we generate a framework that local researchers serving as ‘knowledge intermediaries’ can use to stimulate research-policy-society interactions aimed at fostering sustainable and inclusive service delivery across Africa. By synthesising the findings from local case studies into a widely applicable framework, our analysis informs both the theory and practice of transdisciplinary sustainability research in the African context where the imperative to bridge gaps in methodological innovation and service delivery is high.

2 Hellin, J.; Amarnath, Giriraj; Challinor, A.; Fisher, E.; Girvetz, E.; Guo, Z.; Hodur, J.; Loboguerrero, A. M.; Pacillo, G.; Rose, S.; Schutz, T.; Valencia, L.; You, L. 2022. Transformative adaptation and implications for transdisciplinary climate change research. Environmental Research: Climate, 1(2):023001. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ac8b9d]

Climate change adaptation ; Transformation ; Transdisciplinary research ; Agricultural research ; Climate resilience ; Risk reduction ; Social aspects ; Equity ; Food systems ; Vulnerability ; Technology ; Innovation ; Institutions ; Governance ; Collaboration ; Policies ; Finance

(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051430)

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2752-5295/ac8b9d/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051430.pdf

(0.70 MB) (719 KB)

The severity of the climate challenge requires a change in the climate response, from an incremental to a more far-reaching and radical transformative one. There is also a need to avoid maladaptation whereby responses to climate risk inadvertently reinforce vulnerability, exposure and risk for some sections of society. Innovative technological interventions are critical but enabling social, institutional and governance factors are the actual drivers of the transformative process. Bringing about this transformation requires inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, and the embracing of social equity. In this Perspective, we unpack what this means for agricultural research and, based on our collective experience, we map out a research agenda that weaves different research components into a holistic and transformative one. We do not offer best practice, but rather reflections on how agricultural research can more readily contribute to transformative adaptation, along with the personal and practical challenges of designing and implementing such an agenda.

3 Shackleton, S.; Taylor, A.; Gammage, L.; Gillson, L.; Sitas, N.; Methner, N.; Barmand, S.; Thorn, J.; McClure, A.; Cobban, L.; Jarre, A.; Odume, O. N. 2023. Fostering transdisciplinary research for equitable and sustainable development pathways across Africa: what changes are needed? Ecosystems and People, 19(1):2164798. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798]

Transdisciplinary research ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Equity ; Transformation ; Sustainability ; Institutions ; Communities ; Policies / Africa

(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051625)

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/26395916.2022.2164798?needAccess=true&role=button
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051625.pdf

(4.92 MB) (4.92 MB)

The transformations required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across the African continent demand new ways of mobilising, weaving together, and applying knowledge. Research, policymaking, planning, and action must be effectively inter-linked to address complex sustainability challenges and the different needs and interests of societal actors. Transdisciplinarity (TD) – the co-production of knowledge across disciplines and with non-academic actors – offers a promising, holistic approach to foster such transformations. Yet, despite increased application of TD over the past two decades, disciplinary and sectoral silos persist. TD is not well embedded in African academic institutions and, consequently, much SDG-related research is too narrowly framed and divorced from the action space to be effective. There is an urgent need to work collectively across disciplines and society for transformation towards more sustainable and equitable development pathways. Capacities to undertake collaborative, impactful research must be strengthened, and changes in research culture are needed to support relationship building. We explore these issues by drawing on two recent online social learning processes with researchers and practitioners working on sustainability issues and TD. In each process, we built on actors’ own experiences of TD by investigating institutional, practical, and theoretical challenges and enablers of TD. Here, we synthesise our learnings, alongside key literature, and explore avenues to better: a) promote and support TD within academic institutions across Africa; b) resource TD for sustainable partnerships, and c) strengthen TD practices and impacts to support transformation to sustainability across diverse places and contexts.

4 Joshi, Deepa; Panagiotou, A.; Bisht, Meera; Udalagama, Upandha; Schindler, Alexandra. 2023. Digital ethnography? Our experiences in the use of SenseMaker for understanding gendered climate vulnerabilities amongst marginalized agrarian communities. Sustainability, 15(9):7196. (Special issue: Gender and Socially-Inclusive Approaches to Technology for Climate Action) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097196]

Ethnography ; Climate change ; Vulnerability ; Communities ; Marginalization ; Gender ; Women ; Agriculture ; Transdisciplinary research ; Technology ; Social aspects / India / Bihar / Gaya

(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051885)

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/9/7196/pdf?version=1682494939
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051885.pdf

(1.64 MB) (1.64 MB)

Digital innovations and interventions can potentially revolutionize agri-food systems, especially in coping with climate challenges. On a similar note, digital research tools and methods are increasingly popular for the efficient collection and analysis of real-time, large-scale data. It is claimed that these methods can also minimize subjective biases that are prevalent in traditional qualitative research. However, given the digital divide, especially affecting women and marginalized communities, these innovations could potentially introduce further disparities. To assess these contradictions, we piloted SenseMaker, a digital ethnography tool designed to capture individual, embodied experiences, biases, and perceptions to map vulnerabilities and resilience to climate impacts in the Gaya District in Bihar. Our research shows that this digital tool allows for a systematic co-design of the research framework, allows for the collection of large volumes of data in a relatively short time, and a co-analysis of the research data by the researchers and the researched. This process allowed us to map and capture the complexities of intersectional inequalities in relation to climate change vulnerability. However, we also noted that the application of the tool is influenced by the prior exposure to technology (digital devices) of both the enumerators and researched groups and requires significant resources when implemented in contexts where there is a need to translate the data from local dialects and languages to more dominant languages (English). Most importantly, perceptions, positionalities, and biases of researchers can significantly impact the design of the tool’s signification framework, reiterating the fact that researcher bias persists regardless of technological innovations in research methodology.

5 Flood, S.; Rogan, F.; Revez, A.; McGookin, C.; O’Dwyer, B.; Harris, C.; Dunphy, N.; Byrne, E.; O' Gallachoir, B.; Bolger, P.; Bolge, E.; Glynn, J.; Barry, J.; Ellis, G.; Mullally, G. 2023. Imagining climate resilient futures: a layered Delphi panel approach. Futures, 147:103100. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103100]

Climate resilience ; Transdisciplinary research ; Stakeholders ; Governance ; Policies ; Communities ; Policy making ; Decision making ; Infrastructure ; Social learning ; Public participation / Ireland

(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051943)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328723000046/pdfft?md5=cf49b9d860d29e8609d43642129c1598&pid=1-s2.0-S0016328723000046-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051943.pdf

(4.39 MB) (4.39 MB)

This paper in using a novel application of the Delphi panel method, explores and consolidates the future visions of a low carbon and climate resilient future in Ireland through community-based visioning processes that emerged through co-created, deliberative approaches at local level. It embraces a visioning process that applies a transdisciplinary approach, which aims to match different visions and stakeholder needs, combining bottom-up and top-down perspectives. Community visions were articulated by means of a series of deliberative futures workshops facilitated by the transdisciplinary project research team. Through iterations of the Delphi feedback loop, the notion of deep and shallow agreement is explored to examine the spectrum of consensus to dissent around the co-developed future visions and pathways of climate action, articulated by the Irish community case study. This approach enables a critical exploration of the conventional science-policy-practice nexus through the use of innovative creative communication and engagement methods. Findings suggest that more deliberative forums which bring together a diverse range of stakeholders are needed to develop a shared vision for the future; the importance of language use and the creation of a shared vocabulary of climate action; and the power of civic imaginaries in helping to create useful future narratives.

6 Prasad, P.; Gupta, P.; Belsare, H.; Mahendra, C. M.; Bhopale, M.; Deshmukh, S.; Sohoni, M. 2023. Mapping farmer vulnerability to target interventions for climate-resilient agriculture: science in practice. Water Policy, wp2023036. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2023.036]

Climate resilience ; Farmers ; Vulnerability ; Crop water use ; Soybeans ; Water stress ; Soil moisture ; Transdisciplinary research ; Protective irrigation ; Villages ; Policies ; Evapotranspiration ; Water balance ; Irrigation ; Soil texture ; Models ; Climate change / India / Maharashtra / Adgaon / Yavatmal / Mangrul / Nanded

(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052114)

https://iwaponline.com/wp/article-pdf/doi/10.2166/wp.2023.036/1268773/wp2023036.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052114.pdf

(0.96 MB) (980 KB)

Farmers in dryland regions are highly vulnerable to rainfall variability. This vulnerability is unequal, as it is mediated by biophysical and social factors. Implementing policies for climate resilience requires identification of farmers who are most vulnerable to extreme events like dry spells. We develop a novel approach by conceptualizing dry spell vulnerability at the farm scale in terms of monsoon crop water deficit. Using inputs of weather, terrain, soil properties, land-use-land-cover, crop properties, and cadastral maps, our tool models an hourly soil water balance at 30 m × 30 m resolution and maps the crop water deficit under rainfed conditions. This is a good indicator of the relative sensitivity of farmers to dry spells and allows prioritization of interventions within the focus region. Our tool, developed and deployed within the Maharashtra State Project on Climate-Resilient Agriculture, is iteratively calibrated and refined. We present the result of one such iteration where 72% of cases were found to have an agreement between the modelled output and farmers' perception of dry spell-induced crop water stress. Our work demonstrates how vulnerability to climate hazards may be mapped at micro-scales to assist policy makers in targeting interventions in ecologically fragile regions with high rainfall variability.

7 de Albuquerque, J. P.; Anderson, L.; Calvillo, N.; Cattino, M.; Clarke, A.; Cunha, M. A.; Degrossi, L. C.; Garde-Hansen, J.; Klonner, C.; Lima-Silva, F.; Marchezini, V.; Martins, M. H. da M.; Grajales, D. P.; Pitidis, V.; Rizwan, M.; Tkacz, N.; Trajber, R. 2023. Dialogic data innovations for sustainability transformations and flood resilience: the case for waterproofing data. Global Environmental Change, 82:102730. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102730]

Flooding ; Resilience ; Innovation ; Sustainability ; Transformation ; Climate change adaptation ; Disaster risk management ; Participatory approaches ; Transdisciplinary research ; Risk management ; Social groups ; Decision making / Brazil

(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052356)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378023000961/pdfft?md5=f9f134a0b9a84cff71a8953317d5c104&pid=1-s2.0-S0959378023000961-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052356.pdf

(13.10 MB) (13.1 MB)

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and have increasing impacts, which disproportionately affect marginalised and impoverished communities. This article proposes and assesses a new methodological approach for developing innovative solutions based on urban data analytics to address sustainability challenges in light of changing climate conditions. The approach draws inspiration from Paulo Freire's dialogic pedagogy and has been implemented in the international transdisciplinary project “Waterproofing Data”, with multiple study sites in Brazil. The project has introduced three methodological interventions: making data practices visible, engaging citizens and communities with data, and sharing data stories. Our study demonstrates that these methods have expanded the types of data used in flood risk management and have engaged a wider range of social groups in the generation, circulation, and utilization of data. We present a framework that provides guidance about the ways in which data innovations can contribute to transformative change, aiming to ensure that future development trajectories are just, inclusive, and equitable. The findings provide evidence that our approach not only helps fill existing data gaps and promote more equitable flood risk governance but also democratises decision-making in climate adaptation. Citizens were empowered to take proactive measures to improve resilience to disaster risks, thereby saving lives and safeguarding livelihoods.