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Non-PR, IFPRI1; DCA; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; 5 Strengthening Institutions and Governance; G Cross-cutting gender theme, Natural Resources and Resilience (NRR); Transformation Strategies, Innovation spaces are often dominated by linear, top-down approaches, with the transfer of technology being seen as the solution to many problems rather than trying to understand which innovation processes people are engaging with themselves. In other words, barriers to progress are typically viewed as issues of technology adoption, not as part of the innovation process itself. This study contributes to changing the paradigm by proposing a living lab approach, which considers innovation as an adaptive process where stakeholders co-produce knowledge and collaborate based on inclusivity and empowerment. Our specific concept for this approach is called a Living Lab for People (LL4P). This conceptual paper outlines a framework to guide the development of a LL4P that remains flexible to be adapted for specific sites. While we seek to identify common denominators, we recognize the necessity for such a framework to remain open enough to be adaptable for varied contexts. Consequently, the framework draws on the living lab literature but tailors existing approaches for sustainable food system transformation and puts people (men, women, and marginalized groups among key food system actors) at the center of innovation processes with a clear intention to address power and social inequity. We draw on specific cases in China, Colombia, Kenya and Vietnam as learning grounds for formulating LL4Ps through locally led innovation processes. Based on our learnings and consultations, we define a LL4P as an inclusive and diverse space for people to advance their socio-technical innovation processes and associated modes of governance within a facilitated organizational structure. The principles of LL4Ps include co-production, gender equality and social inclusion, governance and institutional sustainability to advance existing and novel innovation processes. The practical experiences from applying this framework in the four case studies indicate alternative pathways for transforming the fo

Non-PR, IFPRI1; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; 5 Strengthening Institutions and Governance, Natural Resources and Resilience (NRR); Transformation Strategies, This study focuses on the valuation of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam, two countries that have received much attention from the international development community for their biodiversity significance, opportunities for scaling, climate and poverty challenges, and political will. Using The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) framework and the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), this study estimates per hectare values of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam based on a systematic literature review of studies on the values of ecosystem services in both countries. Provisioning services, such as medicines, timber, and non-timber forest products were better studied than regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services, underscoring the need for further research to better estimate the values of non-tangible services which would improve the estimation of total value of ecosystem services in Kenya and Vietnam. To complement the national level analysis, we selected forest biomes to conduct a value transfer analysis. Forests provide ecosystem service benefits worth $25.78 billion for Kenya and $35.6 billion in Vietnam in 2022 USD. In comparison, the agricultural sector contributed $48.50 billion to Vietnam’s GDP and $24.10 billon to Kenya’s GDP in 2021. The per hectare values for ecosystem services are used in a value transfer analysis to estimate the total value of forest ecosystem services in Vietnam and Kenya. The average per hectare value of ecosystem services provided by forests in Kenya is $5,718.50 ha−1 yr−1 estimated within a range spanning $1,609.44 to $15,606.62 ha−1 yr−1 , while Vietnam's forests demonstrate an average value of $3,650.20 ha−1 yr−1 , with a range of $84.93 to $8,978.16 ha−1 yr−1 . We project the loss of forests into 2050 and estimate the annual economic loss of ecosystem services at $48.08 million for Kenya and $76.29 million for Vietnam, respectively, if deforestation and forest degradation continue at the current rate

We are living in a time of crisis on planet Earth. Urgent calls for transformational change are getting louder. Technical solutions have an important role to play in addressing pressing global challenges, but alone they are not enough. After all, who decides what kind of transformation is needed, of what, and for whom? What principles guide those decisions, and how are decision-makers held accountable? This commentary article argues that these governance questions are central in any solution, in order to simultaneously address the planetary crises of forest and biodiversity loss and degradation and growing inequality. To this end, we examine governance in forests and around trees, in landscapes and on farms, through the lens of power and social justice. For applied research aimed at actionable solutions to these global problems, we propose a governance research agenda for the next decade that is both transformative and just.

Ever since a global mitigation mechanism that aims to reduce emissions by avoiding deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) was introduced in climate change negotiations, governance challenges in implementing this concept in tropical forest countries have received considerable attention. In particular, multilevel governance has been identified as a key challenge, as REDD+ aims to tackle local deforestation activities through a global results-based financial scheme. This paper will present an analysis from seven REDD+ countries (Brazil, Cameroon, Indonesia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Vietnam) where 293 qualitative interviews were conducted with national-level REDD+ actors. We examined what kind of multilevel coordination problems emerge, particularly in relation to horizontal, cross-sectoral coordination, and analysed these problems through the concepts of functional alignment, institutional complexity and accountability. We argue that there are problems with coordination that have emerged due to failures in recognizing the key multilevel issues. REDD+ is not adequately integrated into existing policies, and there is a gap between REDD+ and sectoral and national development policies. This leads to overlapping regulations and unequal resource allocation among sectors. Our analysis suggests that effective coordination mechanisms for REDD+ should be built on existing mechanisms and experience, include all the stakeholders, ensure the flow of information across the levels and harness the potential of REDD+ itself to overcome multi-sectoral problems. At the national level, there is great awareness of the issues that hinder coordination and effective REDD+ implementation, but this awareness does not seem to be matched by the actions taken to date.

Free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) is a means of ensuring that people's rights are respected when reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and enhancing forest carbon stocks (REDD+) projects are established in developing countries. This paper examines how FPIC has been applied in three projects in Vietnam and highlights two key lessons learnt. First, as human rights and democracy are seen as politically sensitive issues in Vietnam, FPIC is likely to be more accepted by the government if it is built upon the national legal framework on citizen rights. Applying FPIC in this context can ensure that both government and citizen's interests are achieved within the permitted political space. Second, FPIC activities should be seen as a learning process and designed based on local needs and preferences, with accountability of facilitators, two-way and multiple communication strategies, flexibility, and collective action in mind.

Intermediaries are seen as important actors in facilitating payments for environmental services (PES). However, few data exist on the adequacy of the services provided by intermediaries and the impacts of their interventions. Using four PES case studies in Vietnam, this paper analyses the roles of government agencies, non-government organizations, international agencies, local organizations and professional consulting firms as PES intermediaries. The findings indicate that these intermediaries are essential in supporting PES establishment. Their roles are as service and information providers, mediators, arbitrators, equalizers, representatives, watchdogs, developers of standards and bridge builders. Concerns have been raised about the quality of intermediaries’ participatory work, political influence on intermediaries’ activities and the neutral status of intermediaries. Although local organizations are strongly driven by the government, they are important channels for the poor to express their opinions. However, to act as environmental services (ES) sellers, local organizations need to overcome numerous challenges, particularly related to capacity for monitoring ES and enforcement of contracts. Relationships amongst intermediaries are complex and should be carefully examined by PES stakeholders to avoid negative impact on the poor. Each of the intermediaries may operate at a different level and can have different functions but a multi-sector approach is required for an effective PES implementation.

Governments and administrative agencies are likely to play critical roles in determining the success or failure of payments for environmental services (PES) that are directed at the poor. Using Vietnam as a case study, this article explores the roles, progress and likely impact of the government and the administration in the design and implementation of pro-poor PES. The article focuses on the extent to which it is possible to address the high transaction costs involved and the issue of insecure land tenure, as two major constraints to pro-poor PES. The discussion is based on a literature review, open-ended interviews, and a stakeholder workshop. Although pro-poor PES are welcomed by the government, their implementation is difficult because of overlapping structures and functions, critical gaps in PES policies and a limited understanding of them by decision makers, the private sector and communities. Multi-sectoral approaches and further studies to support policy development and capacity building at the local level are necessary to develop pro-poor PES.

The aquaculture of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) in Vietnam is based upon both indigenous and introduced stocks which have not been subject to study using modem molecular genetic methods to any significant extent. Twenty strains or populations of common carp in Vietnam represented by 968 fish were screened for variation in mitochondrial control region fragments using a combination of direct DNA sequencing and Single Strand Confirmation Polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Common carp samples from China, Japan, Indonesia, and Hungary were analysed for comparison. Sequencing revealed that Vietnamese common carp have high haplotype, but low nucleotide diversity and represent a mixture of indigenous and introduced strains. The SSCP procedure resolved eight haplotypes that distinguished Indonesian, Hungarian and Vietnamese strains and which varied significantly among hatchery and wild Vietnamese common carp populations. Intra-population diversity was least in experimental common carp lines, maintained at the Research Institute for Aquaculture No 1 and greatest within hatchery stocks. Relationships among populations based on SSCP haplotype frequencies showed that the RIA1 Vietnamese white common carp strain is closely related to wild populations, which in turn are closely related to six of the eleven hatchery stocks. The other five hatchery stocks had higher levels of interpopulation variation and mostly showed a closer relationship to Indonesian yellow carp strains. The Hungarian carp strain was highly divergent from all other populations suggesting that this strain has not contributed significantly to the establishment of cultured stocks in Vietnam, based on this maternally inherited marker. The SSCP procedure shows considerable potential for rapid genotyping and genetic characterization of common carp and therefore, for investigation of diversity in wild stocks and broodstock management.