Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation
Attempts to structurally transform segments of the agri-food system inevitably involve trade-offs between the priorities of actors with different incentives, perspectives and values. Trade-offs are context-specific, reflecting different socio-economic and political realities. We investigate the pote...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2021-11-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1738769 |
| _version_ | 1797681197103448064 |
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| author | Joanne Morris Jonathan E. Ensor Catherine Pfeifer Robert Marchant Dawit W. Mulatu Geofrey Soka Salifou Ouédraogo-Koné Mekonnen B. Wakeyo Corrado Topi |
| author_facet | Joanne Morris Jonathan E. Ensor Catherine Pfeifer Robert Marchant Dawit W. Mulatu Geofrey Soka Salifou Ouédraogo-Koné Mekonnen B. Wakeyo Corrado Topi |
| author_sort | Joanne Morris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Attempts to structurally transform segments of the agri-food system inevitably involve trade-offs between the priorities of actors with different incentives, perspectives and values. Trade-offs are context-specific, reflecting different socio-economic and political realities. We investigate the potential of structured boundary objects to facilitate exposing and reconciling these trade-offs within the context of multi-stakeholder social learning processes with pastoral and mixed crop-livestock communities in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Building on boundary objects as items flexible enough to be understood by all without having one common definition, structured boundary objects visualize actors’ input in a comparable format to facilitate knowledge sharing. Stakeholders in each country used a simulation tool and board game to explore the implications of changing livestock stocking and management practices for the environment and for actors’ future socio-economic priorities. Using structured boundary objects elicited trade-offs between household food and animal feed, and between livestock for income, labour, and/ or cultural functions, reflecting the context-specific and subjective evaluations actors make when attempting to plan livelihood changes. Our findings suggest to policy and decision-makers that sustainable transition plans can be developed when stakeholders in local agri-food systems employ approaches that allow shared understandings of trade-offs inherent to sustainable agriculture to emerge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:41:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e5bb45df15d44a07ba75ca6eaa3814c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1473-5903 1747-762X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:41:22Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj.art-e5bb45df15d44a07ba75ca6eaa3814c42023-09-19T15:22:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Agricultural Sustainability1473-59031747-762X2021-11-01195-652554810.1080/14735903.2020.17387691738769Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformationJoanne Morris0Jonathan E. Ensor1Catherine Pfeifer2Robert Marchant3Dawit W. Mulatu4Geofrey Soka5Salifou Ouédraogo-Koné6Mekonnen B. Wakeyo7Corrado Topi8Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Department of Environment and Geography, University of YorkStockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Department of Environment and Geography, University of YorkResearch Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL)York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, Department of Environment and Geography, University of YorkEnvironment and Climate Research Centre (ECRC), Policy Studies Institute (PSI)Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania (SUA)Université Nazi Boni (UNB)Agriculture and Rural Development Research Center, Policy Studies Institute (PSI)Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Department of Environment and Geography, University of YorkAttempts to structurally transform segments of the agri-food system inevitably involve trade-offs between the priorities of actors with different incentives, perspectives and values. Trade-offs are context-specific, reflecting different socio-economic and political realities. We investigate the potential of structured boundary objects to facilitate exposing and reconciling these trade-offs within the context of multi-stakeholder social learning processes with pastoral and mixed crop-livestock communities in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Building on boundary objects as items flexible enough to be understood by all without having one common definition, structured boundary objects visualize actors’ input in a comparable format to facilitate knowledge sharing. Stakeholders in each country used a simulation tool and board game to explore the implications of changing livestock stocking and management practices for the environment and for actors’ future socio-economic priorities. Using structured boundary objects elicited trade-offs between household food and animal feed, and between livestock for income, labour, and/ or cultural functions, reflecting the context-specific and subjective evaluations actors make when attempting to plan livelihood changes. Our findings suggest to policy and decision-makers that sustainable transition plans can be developed when stakeholders in local agri-food systems employ approaches that allow shared understandings of trade-offs inherent to sustainable agriculture to emerge.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1738769boundary objectssustainable livestock transformationcollaborationknowledge sharingcontext-specific trade-offs |
| spellingShingle | Joanne Morris Jonathan E. Ensor Catherine Pfeifer Robert Marchant Dawit W. Mulatu Geofrey Soka Salifou Ouédraogo-Koné Mekonnen B. Wakeyo Corrado Topi Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability boundary objects sustainable livestock transformation collaboration knowledge sharing context-specific trade-offs |
| title | Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation |
| title_full | Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation |
| title_fullStr | Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation |
| title_short | Games as boundary objects: charting trade-offs in sustainable livestock transformation |
| title_sort | games as boundary objects charting trade offs in sustainable livestock transformation |
| topic | boundary objects sustainable livestock transformation collaboration knowledge sharing context-specific trade-offs |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1738769 |
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