Search

We describe an action-research project whose objective was to help stakeholders at different organisational levels achieve sustainable land management by developing mediation models and tools. We chose to test a specific approach called companion modelling in the framework of a multidisciplinary research partnership and a formal local partnership (a ‘users committee’) involving an array of stakeholders at different organisational levels. The study area covers 10,000 km2 of agro-pastoral land around Lake Guiers in northern Senegal. We conducted studies to update the knowledge base of the area and organised six field workshops that clearly revealed three important tool functions to support decision-making on land use at different scales, i.e. understanding maps, monitoring and evaluating land tenure, and foreseeing changes in land use. We found that a toolbox approach was the best way to implement the three functions and overcome the constraints faced by the research team and those linked to the timing of the project. Therefore, we produced five simple complementary tools aimed at various users: a farm-level optimisation model (for researchers and technical services), a database for land allocations and a discussion tool to assess the impact of land allocation decisions (for the rural council), a paper atlas (for local players) and a regional land use change simulation model (for regional and national planners). Participants were able to work with paper maps, to interpret computer-generated simulations of land use change and understand the strengths and limitations of each. Self-assessment of the research process emphasised the importance of the context and the critical role played by social capital at both the research and the field level, which, in turn, emphasised the need for major improvements in the design and implementation of a quality process for participatory modelling. It turns out that action-research may be an effective way to undertake sustainability science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the end of their product life cycle, tires require special handling and treatment in order to avoid damaging the environment and society. Reverse Logistics (RL) is necessary to manage this type of solid waste. In Brazilian cities, collection is one of the bottlenecks. One of the main difficulties in this process is enabling joint-action between the main stakeholders: Final consumers, the government and private companies. The main objective of this paper is to identify e implement opportunities for improvement in the collection phase of end-of-life tires through action-research, involving simultaneous participation between public and private organizations. The motive for this is that the knowledge generated can serve as a basis of information and references which aid in decision-making for public authorities who need to start similar programs or improve existing ones. The Action-Research occurred in a Brazilian city with less than 100,000 inhabitants, which fits the profile of 94.91% of the country's municipalities. Final results proved the efficiency of the action-research proposal; after implementing the changes, the monthly collections grew by 50% (action), and the Action-Research team was able to generate and document knowledge which can now help other cities to improve their own processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential task of participatory action-research is to help close the policy implementation gap that leads to large discrepancies between policy frameworks and local practices. Too often, official regulations, laws and decrees fail to translate into concrete action on the ground. Loose institutional linkages between research, extension and local communities are often blamed as the main culprits for this gap. In turn, many stakeholders call for enhanced participation as a way to bring together scientists, development practitioners and local communities in negotiating competing claims for natural resources and designing realistic pathways towards sustainable development. Despite such general consensus about the value of participation, the latter cannot be decreed nor imposed. Participation is an emerging quality of collective-action and social-learning processes. In this paper, the experience of participatory land-use planning conducted in Laos serves to illustrate a model of the science-practice-policy interface that was developed to facilitate the interactions between three groups of stakeholders, i.e. scientists, planners and villagers, in designing future landscapes. Emphasis was put on developing an approach that is generic and adaptive enough to be applied nationally while engaging local communities in context-sensitive negotiations. The set of tools and methods developed through action-research contributed to enhanced communication and participation from initial consultation and cooperation stages towards collective decision-making and action. Both the activity of landscape design and the resulting patterns can be improved by incorporating landscape science in strategic multi-stakeholder negotiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the benefits and difficulties of action-research projects implemented to advance territorial development, in the context of the smart specialization strategy promoted by European Union regional policy. We focus on the strategy's implications for territorial development in peri-urban and rural areas. The role that researchers can play in the smart development approach is examined through an action-research project (TASTE project) linking researchers and actors at the territorial level. Two case studies are used to illustrate the on-going process of action-research, the interactions between participants, the tools designed to share knowledge, and the roles taken by researchers. Both the benefits of these approaches and the difficulties encountered by researchers in such action-research are discussed. We suggest principles, attitudes and tools researchers can adopt to foster smart territorial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Action-research projects focused on poor women both collect information and design interventions to improve their livelihood. This approach is illustrated by studying street food vendors in Iloilo, PhIlippines. Findings document the importance of street foods as a source of income and of food. Interventions to improve both safe food handling and income were pro- posed and tested in Iloilo and Manila; a revisit after a decade shows their long-term impact on the vendors. Overall, this and six other studies comprising the street food project influenced policy changes by municipal, national, and international agencies and organizations. The conclusions challenge theoretical assumptions held by economists concerning the informal sector and by feminists regarding the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]