All these premises having, as I think, been clearly made out, it is impossible that the rulers now on earth should make any benefit, or derive any the least shadow of authority from that, which is held to be the fountain of all power, Adam's private dominion and paternal jurisdiction; so that he that will not give just occasion to think that all government in the world is the product only of force and violence, and that men live together by no other rules but that of beasts, where the strongest carries it, and so lay a foundation for perpetual disorder and mischief, tumult, sedition and rebellion, (things that the followers of that hypothesis so loudly cry out against) must of necessity find out another rise of government, another original of political power, and another way of designing and knowing the persons that have it, than what Sir Robert Filmer hath taught us.

Two Treatises of Government.

Knowledge Management

「脆弱性(Vulnerability)」とは何か

The need to adapt to climate change is now widely recognised as evidence of its impacts on social and natural systems grows and greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. Yet efforts to adapt to climate change, as reported in the literature over the last decade and in selected case studies, have not led to substantial rates of implementation of adaptation actions despite substantial investments in adaptation science. Moreover, implemented actions have been mostly incremental and focused on proximate causes; there are far fewer reports of more systemic or transformative actions. We found that the nature and effectiveness of responses was strongly influenced by framing. Recent decision-oriented approaches that aim to overcome this situation are framed within a “pathways” metaphor to emphasise the need for robust decision making within adaptive processes in the face of uncertainty and inter-temporal complexity. However, to date, such “adaptation pathways” approaches have mostly focused on contexts with clearly identified decision-makers and unambiguous goals; as a result, they generally assume prevailing governance regimes are conducive for adaptation and hence constrain responses to proximate causes of vulnerability. In this paper, we explore a broader conceptualisation of “adaptation pathways” that draws on ‘pathways thinking’ in the sustainable development domain to consider the implications of path dependency, interactions between adaptation plans, vested interests and global change, and situations where values, interests, or institutions constrain societal responses to change. This re-conceptualisation of adaptation pathways aims to inform decision makers about integrating incremental actions on proximate causes with the transformative aspects of societal change. Case studies illustrate what this might entail. The paper ends with a call for further exploration of theory, methods and procedures to operationalise this broader conceptualisation of adaptation.

https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/ws/files/7817413/1_s2.0_S095937801300232X_main.pdf

Reconceptualising adaptation to climate change as part of pathways of change and response

Sustainable intensification in agricultural systems

https://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/5482.pdf

The Empowerment Route to Well-being: An Analysis of Farmer Field Schools in East Africa

Participatory approaches to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources

As participatory agricultural education increases in use, knowledge is needed of its impact on the daily lives of the participants beyond benefits for farming. The purpose of this study was to expl...

/pdf/farmer-field-schools-in-rural-kenya-a-transformative-3otl9yd59r.pdf

Farmer Field Schools in Rural Kenya: A Transformative Learning Experience

The purpose of this study was to explore the practice of Farmer-Field Schools (FFS) theoretically framed from the perspective of transformative learning theory and non-formal education (NFE). Farmer-Field Schools are community-led NFE programs that provide a platform where farmers meet regularly to study the ‘how and why’ of farming and engage in an instrumental and experiential learning process imbued with local knowledge expressed through song, dance and theatre. Through a qualitative design using multiple interviews and observations of the Luhya ethnic group in Western Kenya, involving participants of several FFS programs, the study revealed an intricate picture of fostering transformative learning within the context of NFE, where findings call into question some long-held assumptions about both.

Fostering Transformative Learning in Non-Formal Settings: Farmer-Field Schools in East Africa.

Grants for agricultural innovation are common but grant funds specifically targeted to smallholder farmers remain relatively rare. Nevertheless, they are receiving increasing recognition as a promising venue for agricultural innovation. They stimulate smallholders to experiment with improved practices, to become proactive and to engage with research and extension providers. The systematic review covered three modalities of disbursing these grants to smallholder farmers and their organisations: vouchers, competitive grants and farmer-led innovation support funds. The synthesis covers, among others, innovation grant systems in Malawi (Agricultural Input Subsidy Programme), Latin America (several Challenge Funds for Farmer Groups), Uganda (National Agricultural Advisory Services ), and Colombia (Local Agricultural Research Committees - CIAL).

/pdf/effectiveness-of-innovation-grants-to-smallholder-3gjnwaj4jm.pdf

Esbern Friis-Hansen

Papers

The Empowerment Route to Well-being: An Analysis of Farmer Field Schools in East Africa

Participatory approaches to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources

Farmer Field Schools in Rural Kenya: A Transformative Learning Experience

Fostering Transformative Learning in Non-Formal Settings: Farmer-Field Schools in East Africa.

Effectiveness of innovation grants to smallholder agricultural producers: an explorative systematic review