Customary management as TURFs: social challenges and opportunities

2017 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Aswani
Keyword(s):  
Social Challenges ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Customary Management

scholarly journals The Defining Characteristics of Agroecosystem Living Labs

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1718
Author(s):  
Chris McPhee ◽  
Margaret Bancerz ◽  
Muriel Mambrini-Doudet ◽  
François Chrétien ◽  
Christian Huyghe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Rural Living ◽  
Living Lab ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Unique Nature ◽  
Living Labs ◽  
High Uncertainty

In response to environmental, economic, and social challenges, the living labs approach to innovation is receiving increasing attention within the agricultural sector. In this paper, we propose a set of defining characteristics for an emerging type of living lab intended to increase the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and agri-food systems: the “agroecosystem living lab”. Drawing on first-hand knowledge of case studies of large initiatives from Canada and France and supported by eight other cases from the literature, we highlight the unique nature of agroecosystem living labs and their distinct challenges with respect to their aims, activities, participants, and context. In particular, these living labs are characterized by exceptionally high levels of scientific research; long innovation cycles with high uncertainty due to external factors; and the high number and diversity of stakeholders involved. Both procedurally and conceptually, we link to earlier efforts undertaken by researchers seeking to identify urban living labs and rural living labs as distinct, new types of living labs. By highlighting what makes agroecosystem living labs unique and their commonalities with other types of living labs, we hope to encourage their further study and help practitioners better understand their implementation and operational challenges and opportunities.

scholarly journals Activity Disengagement: Understanding Challenges and Opportunities for Reengagement

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Fox ◽  
Nancy Morrow-Howell ◽  
Stephanie Herbers ◽  
Paula Battista ◽  
Carolyn M. Baum
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Senior Housing ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Person Centered Approach

Although maintaining engagement in activities has a positive influence on our health and wellbeing as we age, many programs that serve older adults struggle with getting participation in the programs they offer. This study sought to explore activity disengagement among older adults in a senior housing community and identify the challenges and opportunities for reengagement with the aim of informing future intervention development and testing. Fifty-one adults over the age of 60 participated in structured interviews. Findings highlighted that many older adults have activities patterns that are not optimal for health. Many reasons given for disengaging in activities (e.g., no opportunity) were surprising given that participants lived in a setting where a variety of programs were offered. Programs need to more purposively address social challenges to participating in activities and consider a more person-centered approach when developing interventions for the older adults they serve.

scholarly journals Manipulating Wild and Tamed Phytobiomes: Challenges and Opportunities

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence H. Bell ◽  
Kevin L. Hockett ◽  
Ricardo I. Alcalá-Briseño ◽  
Mary Barbercheck ◽  
Gwyn A. Beattie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Paper ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Societal Factors ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Fungal Assemblages ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Scientific Practical ◽  
Near Future

This white paper presents a series of perspectives on current and future phytobiome management, discussed at the Wild and Tamed Phytobiomes Symposium in University Park, PA, U.S.A., in June 2018. To enhance plant productivity and health, and to translate lab- and greenhouse-based phytobiome research to field applications, the academic community and end-users need to address a variety of scientific, practical, and social challenges. Prior discussion of phytobiomes has focused heavily on plant-associated bacterial and fungal assemblages, but the phytobiomes concept covers all factors that influence plant function. Here we discuss various management considerations, including abiotic conditions (e.g., soil and nutrient applications), microorganisms (e.g., bacterial and fungal assemblages, bacterial and fungal inoculants, and viruses), macroorganisms (e.g., arthropods and plant genetics), and societal factors (e.g., communication approaches and technology diffusion). An important near-term goal for this field should be to estimate the potential relative contribution of different components of the phytobiome to plant health, as well as the potential and risk of modifying each in the near future.

scholarly journals Personalized medicine in psychiatry: ethical challenges and opportunities

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Personalized Medicine ◽  
Health Planning ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Therapeutic Doses ◽  
Therapeutic Possibilities

Pharmacogenomic developments hold promise for personalized medicine in psychiatry with adjusted therapeutic doses, predictable responses, reduced adverse drug reactions, early diagnosis, and personal health planning. The prospects are exciting, but at the same time, these new techniques stand faced with important scientific, ethical, legal, and social challenges that need to be met in order for the scientific advances to be responsibly applied. This review discusses the ethical balance between challenge and opportunity of personalized medicine in psychiatry under the aspects of adequacy, cost:benefit ratio, and therapeutic equity. It is argued that the promising nature of these therapeutic possibilities makes it all the more important to avoid exaggerating the expectations, and that a sophisticated social infrastructure needs to be developed in order to ensure the realistic and responsible application of personalized medicine in psychiatry.

scholarly journals Challenges and opportunities for assisted regional ecosystem adaptation: International experience and implications for adaptation research

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257868
Author(s):  
Karen Vella ◽  
Umberto Baresi ◽  
Stewart Lockie ◽  
Bruce Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
Ethical Debate ◽  
Novel Technology ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Governance Challenges ◽  
Structured Analysis ◽  
Participation Theory

Maintaining the functional integrity of ecosystems as climate pressures exceed natural rates of adaptation requires new knowledge and new approaches to governance and management. However, research into management interventions to assist regional ecosystem adaptation has generated both scientific and ethical debate. This paper reviews experience to date in order to identify the challenges and opportunities for assisted regional ecosystem adaptation and reflect on the implications for ongoing adaptation research. The review was informed by a database and structured analysis of some 450 reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts and books on participation theory and experience with novel technology development and assisted ecosystem adaptation. We identified five classes of challenges to adaptation research: 1) scientific conflicts and debates over the “facts”, 2) social challenges, 3) governance challenges, 4) epistemic challenges, and 5) ontological conflicts. We argue that engagement strategies linked to the multiple objectives of adaptation research provide opportunities for ecosystem adaptation.

scholarly journals ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITY CONCEPT: CASE OF A DEVELOPING COUNTRY, ALBANIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 374-380
Author(s):  
Bruna Papa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Flexible Structures ◽  
Entrepreneurial University ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Common Definition ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Definition Of

Today, the role of universities has changed and universities are not being only seen as creators and transmitters of knowledge but also as institutions that give innovative answers to economic and social challenges of society. The entrepreneurial university model is referred to many as the “Ideal state” of a university in responding efficiently and effectively to challenges and opportunities and being able to be competitive in today’s environment of universities by fulfilling the university’s “third mission”. Even though many definitions exist for the concept of an entrepreneurial university, an overall common definition is lacking due to the fact that each institution follows a unique transformation path which is influenced by various economic and social factors of the environment they operate. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the understating of the above mentioned definition of an entrepreneurial university, how this concept is viewed in public higher education institutions in Albania and to identify which are the most important factors that might facilitate or serve as barriers for Higher Education Institutions (HEI-s) that might want to move towards this institutional approach. A questionnaire was distributed to academics in 5 higher public institutions in Albania and received 372 responses. An empirical study was conducted to contribute to the literature on the entrepreneurial university aspects with a specific focus on Albanian Higher Education Institutions. The results show that even in Albania, a common accepted definition is lacking. Factors such as cooperation with the private sector, appropriate reward systems, presence of role models and flexible structures are among the most important facilitators. While a lack of funding and inadequate links with the private sector are seen as the greatest barriers for public HEIs in Albania in becoming entrepreneurial institutions.

scholarly journals Wave Energy in Tropical Regions: Deployment Challenges, Environmental and Social Perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix ◽  
Hernández-Fontes ◽  
Lithgow ◽  
Mendoza ◽  
Posada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Social Perspectives ◽  
Marine Energy ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

The harnessing of renewable sources of marine energy has become a promising solution for a number of problems, namely satisfying the increasing demand for electricity, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the provision of energy to regions unconnected to a national grid. Tropical countries have an interesting dichotomy: Despite their varied potential sources of marine energy, their environmental and social conditions impose severe constraints on the development of a renewable energy industry. Moreover, the exploitation of these opportunities is limited by national economies´ reliance on fossil fuels, political and social restraints, and technological immaturity. The present work addresses challenges and opportunities common to wave energy implementation in tropical nations, as a first approach to a regional diagnosis. The motivation for this work is to encourage research on wave energy policies in the Tropics. Technical, environmental, and social challenges to be overcome in wave energy projects are discussed. The technical challenges are grouped into development, deployment, and operation stages of wave energy converters; environmental challenges are divided into biodiversity, cumulative effects, and monitoring aspects, whilst social issues include population growth and energy access matters. The Mexican strategy for developing sustainable technology throughout the wave energy production chain is also presented.

scholarly journals Gaps and Research Demand for Sustainability Certification and Standardisation in a Sustainable Bio-Based Economy in the EU

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Majer ◽  
Simone Wurster ◽  
David Moosmann ◽  
Luana Ladu ◽  
Beike Sumfleth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Expert Interviews ◽  
Social Transition ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
The Eu

The concept of the bio-based economy has gained increasing attention and importance in recent years. It is seen as a chance to reduce the dependency on fossil resources while securing a sustainable supply of energy, water, and raw materials, and furthermore preserving soils, climate and the environment. The intended transformation is characterized by economic, environmental and social challenges and opportunities, and it is understood as a social transition process towards a sustainable, bio-based and nature-oriented economy. This process requires general mechanisms to establish and monitor safeguards for a sustainable development of the bio-based economy on a national and EU level. Sustainability certification and standardisation of bio-based products can help to manage biogenic resources and their derived products in a sustainable manner. In this paper, we have analysed the current status of sustainability certification and standardisation in the bio-based economy by conducting comprehensive desktop research, which was complemented by a series of expert interviews. The analysis revealed an impressive amount of existing certification frameworks, criteria, indicators and applicable standards. However, relevant gaps relating to existing criteria sets, the practical implementation of criteria in certification processes, the legislative framework, end-of-life processes, as well as necessary standardisation activities, were identified which require further research and development to improve sustainability certification and standardisation for a growing bio-based economy.

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