Resilience of rural communities

Transcription

1 Resilience of rural communities Ika Darnhofer Department of Economics and Social Sciences University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

2 Societal dynamics

3 Turbulent times: volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous

4 A radical shift Qualitatively different dynamic? Frequency and magnitude of change Predictability Role of flexibility and adaptability Different world view? The world is ordered, mechanistic, predictable Change can and should be planned and controlled The world is chaotic, complex, the future is unknown Change cannot be predicted, is emergent

5 Aim: keep options open

6 Recognize windows of opportunity

7 Farm management Allocative efficiency Specialisation, economies of scale Rationality, yield/profit maximisation Improve input-output relations, tinker at margins Success is measured and controlled All resources should be used efficiently Adaptive efficiency Diversification economies of scope Creativity, satisficing, multiple goals Innovate, experiment through trial-and-error Success is difficult to assess (time lag) Unused and redundant resources are key: can be mobilised quickly

8 What is resilience? Various definitions: disciplines, authors,... Ecology, disaster relief, business management, Various emphasis on: Buffer capability: cope with a sudden shock Adaptive capability: adapt elements and processes Transformative capability: radical change, new logic, new rules of the game

9 Life long learning

10 Resilience: not a fixed recipe Be responsive; engage with ever evolving situations

11 Place-based and diverse

12 Modernisation treadmill Capital investments only pay off through economies of scale. But scale increase reduces the room for manoeuvre of individual farms Get big or get out leads to a homogenisation at regional level. It creates path dependencies

13 Lack of venture capital There are creative, engaged people everywhere! But: Lack of time! High workload, caught in the treadmill Innovative ideas are often ridiculed: This is not how it is done! A real farmer does not May not fit narrowly defined templates for funds (too small) May not fulfill the standard criteria for success Project is likely to evolve over time: emergence Outcome is uncertain

14 Networks and knowledge Formal agricultural education is important. So is continued training to keep up with technologies, regulations and documentation requirements But avoid one-sided focus on production techniques and economics. Also need soft skills such as: facilitation of group processes conflict resolution time management These are essential to build and maintain cooperation and networks.

15 Resilient communities Nourish possibility through diversity Combination of old and new, technical and social innovations, ag. and non-ag. products and services Balance exploitation and exploration Exploit current strengths and explore emerging options On-going process of fine-tuning and seizing opportunities Remain connected to the broader context Societal demands, emerging networks, regional dynamics, new options through IT

16 Get off the beaten track Question assumptions Traditions and recommendations can be useful, but they can also be narrow, restrictive, ill-suited What works for this community? For this region? Promote social innovation New ways to address societal needs, address new societal needs New roles for farms, new services, new networks, new process Integrate marginalised groups, value their specific contributions

17 Rethink Rethink conventional practices Discuss qualitative aspects of capital-intensive practices: impact on quality of life (debt), on rural communities (rural depopulation) Make externalised costs transparent: social and environmental impacts of intensive practices Rethink criteria for success Beyond what is captured in (neoclassical) economics Value learning processes, innovation, creativity Value inclusiveness, social justice, fairness Value diversity: enables synergies, buffers shocks

18 Key recommendations Reduce the complexity of regulations Esp. challenging for multifunctional farms Distinguish b/w industrial plants and artisanal production Provide seed funds For social innovations, for promising ideas Even if outcome is ill-defined and uncertain Move away from knowledge transfer Knowledge brokering, knowledge co-creation, knowledge integration Provide facilitators and coaches Encourage open-ended learning processes Innovation through reflexion, question imperatives

19 Key recommendations Place-based solutions rather than upscaling There is no one size fits all There is no standardized recipe for success Encourage experimentation (may fail, but always learn!) Wild ideas are the seeds of innovation Acknowledge and encourage diversity Family & commercial, small & large, diversified & spec. Provide support for all, enable regional dynamics Move away from projects towards open-ended processes Balance maintenance and adaptation Artisanal production and modern technology/marketing Question traditions and sectoral divisions

20 Enable dynamics: keep options open On-going reconfiguring of the materialdiscursive field of possibilities

21 Thank you! Illustrations by Alexander Czernin and Simon Kneebone