Papers by Barbara van Mierlo
The European Journal of Development Research
We witness a promotion of hybrid partnerships, where actors with different competences and resour... more We witness a promotion of hybrid partnerships, where actors with different competences and resources collaborate for smallholder inclusive value chain development. To better understand the functioning of these partnerships, we used institutional theory and studied the context of a global and emerging regional food value chains in Ghana, the blending of logics by key actors in Innovation Platforms and Public Private Partnerships, and their effect on value chain relations of smallholder farmers. In the global value chain of cocoa, partnerships adhered to ‘green revolution’ and ‘free-market’ logics, and provided all farmers material support. In the more informally organised regional food sector, local executing partners selectively coupled their logics with those of poor smallholders, who rely on low-input agriculture and solidarity logics to make ends meet. This improved the position and transaction costs of smallholders to participate in the value chain. Hence, it is more likely for ...
Applied Sciences, 2019
Active involvement of users in smart grids is often seen as key to beneficial development of smar... more Active involvement of users in smart grids is often seen as key to beneficial development of smart grids. In this paper, we investigate the diverse assumptions about how and why users should be active and to what extent these assumptions are supported by experiences in practice. We present the findings of a systematic literature review on four distinctive forms of user involvement in actual smart grid projects: demand shifting, energy saving, co-design, and co-provision. The state-of-the-art knowledge reflects the preoccupation with demand shifting in the actual smart grid development. Little is known about the other user roles. More diversity in types of projects regarding user roles would improve the knowledge base for important decisions defining the future of smart grids.
Applied Sciences, 2018
In this paper, a framework is presented for the evaluation of smart grid environment which is cal... more In this paper, a framework is presented for the evaluation of smart grid environment which is called the three-layer model. This three-layer model comprises three specific categories, or ‘layers’, namely, the stakeholder, market and technologies layers. Each layer is defined and explored herein, using an extensive literature study regarding their key elements, their descriptions and an overview of the findings from the literature. The assumption behind this study is that a solid understanding of each of the three layers and their interrelations will help in more effective assessment of residential smart grid pilots in order to better design products and services and deploy smart grid technologies in networks. Based on our review, we conclude that, in many studies, social factors associated with smart grid pilots, such as markets, social acceptance, and end-user and stakeholder demands, are most commonly defined as uncertainties and are therefore considered separately from the techni...
Photovoltaic Solar Energy, 2017
This chapter takes stock of the current knowledge and understanding of people's involvement i... more This chapter takes stock of the current knowledge and understanding of people's involvement in and experiences of photovoltaics (PVs), which is important for the design of PV systems as well as wise market introduction and support. It also takes an interest in everybody who is not professionally involved, as a 'prosumer', an active citizen or a gadget hunter, and more. Suggestions are provided on how to engage in a more effective learning process to improve further socio‐technological development. People who own a single house can individually purchase a PV system to be mounted on or integrated into their rooftops or facades if the physical conditions and their financial resources allow it. In this role they are most frequently addressed in PV campaigns and policy. People living in an apartment or rental house are confined to becoming involved in collective initiatives or buying a small add‐on system.
Evaluation, 2016
While evaluation is seen as a mechanism for both accountability and learning, it is not self-evid... more While evaluation is seen as a mechanism for both accountability and learning, it is not self-evident that the evaluation of niche experiments focuses on both accountability and learning at the same time. Tensions exist between the accountability-oriented needs of funders and the learning needs of managers of niche experiments. This article explores the differences in needs and expectations of funders and managers in terms of upwards, downwards and internal accountability. The article shows that as the multi-stakeholder contexts in which niche experiments take place give rise to various requirements, tensions in evaluation are essentially a specific manifestation of tensions between niche experiments and their multiple contexts. Based on our findings, an adjusted accountability framework is proposed, including several strategies that can reconcile a learning approach with accountability needs in niche experiments aiming to change current practices in a more sustainable direction.
Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inb... more Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inbreuk maakt op enig recht dat u toekomt of uw (privacy)belangen schaadt, dan kunt u dit onderbouwd aan de Universiteitsbibliotheek laten weten. Bij een gegronde klacht zal de Universiteitsbibliotheek het materiaal ontoegankelijk maken en/of van de website verwijderen, dan wel samen met u bekijken hoe op een andere manier aan uw klacht tegemoet kan worden gekomen. Stuurt u hiervoor een e-mail naar: [email protected], of een brief naar: Bibliotheek van de Universiteit ...
Bij de transitie naar duurzame landbouw spelen agrarische ondernemers een belangrijke rol. Maar o... more Bij de transitie naar duurzame landbouw spelen agrarische ondernemers een belangrijke rol. Maar ook de betrokkenheid van andere actoren in de agrarische productie- en consumptieketen is essentieel. Wageningen UR heeft nu een handboek uitgebracht om projectleiders, beleidsmakers en anderen die in hun dagelijkse werk de transitie naar duurzame landbouw ondersteunen. Het handboek beschrijft achtereenvolgens de theoretische achtergrond van duurzaamheid en
Energy Research & Social Science, 2018
The most critical question for climate research is no longer about the problem, but about how to ... more The most critical question for climate research is no longer about the problem, but about how to facilitate the transformative changes necessary to avoid catastrophic climate-induced change. Addressing this question, however, will require massive upscaling of research that can rapidly enhance learning about transformations. Ten essentials for guiding action-oriented transformation and energy research are therefore presented, framed in relation to second-order science. They include: (1) Focus on transformations to low-carbon, resilient living; (2) Focus on solution processes; (3) Focus on 'how to' practical knowledge; (4) Approach research as occurring from within the system being intervened; (5) Work with normative aspects; (6) Seek to transcend current thinking; (7) Take a multi-faceted approach to understand and shape change; (8) Acknowledge the value of alternative roles of researchers; (9) Encourage second-order experimentation; and (10) Be reflexive. Joint application of the essentials would create highly adaptive, reflexive, collaborative and impact-oriented research able to enhance capacity to respond to the climate challenge. At present, however, the practice of such approaches is limited and constrained by dominance of other approaches. For wider transformations to low carbon living and energy systems to occur, transformations will therefore also be needed in the way in which knowledge is produced and used. Purpose To improve performance To understand and change the system and its parts To innovate and create previously unimagined possibilities Power and relationships Confirms existing rules Opens rules up to revision Opens issues to the creation of new ways of thinking and action Core dynamic Replication Reorganization Transcendence Archetypal actions Copying, duplicating, mimicking Changing policy, adjusting, adapting Visioning, experimenting, inventing I. Fazey et al.
Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2019
Background Meat, an important source of protein and other nutrients in human diets, is one of the... more Background Meat, an important source of protein and other nutrients in human diets, is one of the major drivers of global environmental change in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, animal welfare, human health and directions of breeding. Novel alternatives, including novel meat proxies (cultured meat, plant-based meat alternatives), insects and novel protein sources (like algae) receive increasing attention. But plausible socio-technological pathways for their further development have not yet been compared in an integrative, interdisciplinary perspective. Scope and Approach This paper applies an integrated conceptual framework-the Reflexive Integrative Comparative Heuristic (RICH)-to comparatively assess the nutritional implications, potential sustainability gains and required technological and social-institutional change of five meat alternatives. We formulate plausible pathways for each alternative and identify their preconditions and implications. Key Findings and Conclusions High levels of transformation and processing limit the environmental sustainability gains of cultured meat, highly processed plant-based meat alternatives, algae-and insect-based food. At the same time, a high degree of societal coordination is needed to enable the potentially disruptive level of technological, organisational and institutional innovations needed to make these novel alternatives viable. Widespread expectations that solutions require breakthrough novelties or high-tech alternatives imply a neglect of existing and viable alternatives. Our integrative analysis suggests that the priority given to meat alternatives with limited sustainability potential does not just raise questions of technological optimisation of production systems, but is also a second-order problem of the framing of search directions.
Agronomy
Soil acidity is one of the main constraints to crop production worldwide. In Ethiopia, the proble... more Soil acidity is one of the main constraints to crop production worldwide. In Ethiopia, the problem of soil acidity has been increasing. Currently, more than 40% of cultivated land in the country has a soil pH < 5.5. Recently, bacterial wilt (caused by Ralstonia solanacearum) has become a serious problem, reaching epidemic levels in some of the major potato growing districts in the country. However, it is currently unknown if the current outbreak of bacterial wilt in potato production is associated with soil acidification or not. To examine the association between bacterial wilt and soil acidification, we conducted a field survey and field experiments and detected and characterised R. solanacearum strains. The study showed that 50% of potato fields were very strongly acidic (pH 4.5–5.0) and bacterial wilt incidence was higher in potato fields with low soil pH. The field experiments indicated that lime application significantly increased soil pH (p < 0.001) and reduced bacterial...
Complex problems need a freeing-up of formal and informal rules and relations that guide problema... more Complex problems need a freeing-up of formal and informal rules and relations that guide problematic standard actions and routine practices. This could take place in an interactive learning process. Several evaluation approaches have emerged to actively support system innovation from a reflexive perspective. The current conceptualisations of reflexivity however, provide insufficient clarity and hence no guidelines for such evaluations. In our paper, we first make a case regarding the need for reflexive evaluation approaches and their key features, based on an earlier paper. We then present a framework to operationalise and investigate reflexivity and its relation with learning empirically, with the purpose of informing reflexive evaluation approaches addressing complex problems. The potential value of this framework is illustrated with a case of a sustainability initiative in the Dutch greenhouse sector, which we supported with Reflexive Monitoring in Action. With an ex-post, second...
System innovations towards sustainability invariably involve learning. In experiments, participan... more System innovations towards sustainability invariably involve learning. In experiments, participants learn about how innovations can change their institutional and biophysical environments. To enrich such approaches in-depth insight in the relation between reflexivity, learning and reflection is needed. However, reflexivity is seldom clarified conceptually and as a consequence its relations with learning and reflection have hardly been studied so far. In this chapter, we first conceptually disentangle the concepts of reflexivity, reflection and learning and then present an exploratory case study on their relations. The case study shows that as expected in literature, learning indeed may increase reflexivity. However, the relation we found was rather loose—in many cases changes in reflexivity preceded learning, instead of resulting from learning. Furthermore, much learning was unrelated to reflexivity. These findings show the importance of conceptually distinguishing learning, reflect...
In Benin a combination of governmental programmes effectively stimulated rice intensification by ... more In Benin a combination of governmental programmes effectively stimulated rice intensification by providing relevant institutional arrangements like subsidised seeds, credits and a market outlet. In this paper, we investigate the institutional character of the programmes, by unpacking the rules embedded in them as well as by showing how farmers mould, reject and change these rules or combine them with local rules; their practices of institutional bricolage. We show that the services provided by the programmes had great advantages for the rice farmers, but also an exclusive character. Because of local bricolage practices the programmes impacted not only rice production practices but also helped the rice farmers to deal with conflicts about inequitable land allocation and discriminatory participation in canal cleaning. These findings contribute to the discussion about the role of innovation platforms in the stimulation of institutional change and providing enabling conditions.
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an increasingly important crop for food and nutrition security i... more Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an increasingly important crop for food and nutrition security in Ethiopia. It is also a vital source of income and more than 3.7 million smallholder farmers are involved in potato production in the country. However, bacterial wilt is currently causing an overwhelming impact on the country’s potato production systems, threatening food and nutrition security initiatives. A survey of 261 randomly selected smallholder farmers was carried out in three major potato growing districts in the central highlands of Ethiopia to examine farmers’ knowledge and management practices of bacterial wilt, and to analyse the role of relevant knowledge in their practices. Considering their different characteristics, three groups of farmers were distinguished: producers of quality declared seed, producers of normal seed and producers of ware potatoes. The results of the study indicated that most farmers (72%) could recognise symptoms of the disease on infected potato plan...
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 2021
Abstract Dominant agricultural and food systems lead to continuous resource depletion and unaccep... more Abstract Dominant agricultural and food systems lead to continuous resource depletion and unacceptable environmental and social impacts. While current calls for changing agrifood systems are increasingly framed in the context of sustainability transitions, they rarely make an explicit link to transition studies to address these systemic challenges, nor do transition scholars sufficiently address agri-food systems, despite their global pertinence. From this viewpoint, we illustrate several gaps in the agri-food systems debate that sustainability transition studies could engage in. We propose four avenues for research in the next decade of transition research on agri-food systems: 1) Crossscale dynamics between coupled systems; 2) Social justice, equity and inclusion; 3) Sustainability transitions in low- and middle-income countries; 4) Cross-sectoral governance and system integration. We call for a decade of new transition research that moves beyond single-scale and sector perspectives toward more inclusive and integrated analyses of food system dynamics.
Journal of Responsible Innovation, 2020
We investigate opening up, a crucial aim of responsible innovation, in the situation of companies... more We investigate opening up, a crucial aim of responsible innovation, in the situation of companies initiating sector-wide change in order to take societal responsibility. Two case studies in agriculture were conducted, using a framing perspective that enlightens how issues are (re-)defined and acquire meaning in conversations. For both industry-led innovation initiatives, this showed when and how the initiatives' issue frames opened up and closed down. The results suggest that the inclusion of actors is not the panacea for opening up the innovation processes, given that responsiveness seemed more relevant. Furthermore, we confirm that closing down may occur simultaneously with opening up and as such is an inherent part of responsible innovation processes. Hence, in addition to the advocated opening up, the question of how to balance it with closing down in order to arrive at collaborative action deserves full attention.
Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2020
There has been strong research interest in designing and testing learning approaches for enhancin... more There has been strong research interest in designing and testing learning approaches for enhancing and sustaining the capacity of communities to manage collective action problems. Broadening the perspective from well-known social learning approaches in natural resource management, this study explores how social learning as a communicative process influences collective action in contagious crop disease management. A series of facilitated discussion and reflection sessions about late blight management created the social learning space for potato farmers in Ethiopia. Communicative utterances of participants in the sessions served as the units of analysis. The study demonstrates how and to what extent social learning, in the form of aligned new knowledge, relations and actions occurred and formed the basis for collective action in the management of late blight.
Agricultural Systems, 2020
Growing empirical evidence suggests that innovation platforms can be effective in enhancing agric... more Growing empirical evidence suggests that innovation platforms can be effective in enhancing agricultural research impact by creating an enabling environment for scaling of innovations such as novel technologies, practices and busines models. However, efforts to understand how these innovation platforms operate to scale innovations are insufficient. Such knowledge is critical for improving the design of agricultural innovation systems, specifically within the context of a rising interest in the innovation platform approach to support the transformation of agriculture across Africa. This paper investigates the scaling approaches employed by innovation platforms established in Rwanda. The study focused on four innovation platforms created as part of the Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program and analysed their activities and the resulting scaling outcomes. The findings show that two approaches can be effectively combined during the intervention; (1) the innovation process that resembles a traditional, linear approach of finding short-term solutions to specific problems (push approach) and (2) the network building process where platforms employed multi-level, transdisciplinary processes (pull approach). In two areas, the platform activities appeared to have contributed to increased revenues of farmers. The alignment of the innovation platform activities with political agendas or broadly, the extent to which the scaling strategy considers the existing conducive context is shown to play a critical role in the scaling process. The study shows that a balanced combination of both push and pull approaches and a strategic linkage between the platform activities and external developmentgovernment policies and interventionsare critical for a productive agricultural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings also indicate that the scaling processes require a "protected space" to materialise, and the scaling approach needs flexibility to accommodate the complexity of each innovation.
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 2018
Many transitions scholars underscore the importance of learning in sustainability transitions, bu... more Many transitions scholars underscore the importance of learning in sustainability transitions, but the associated learning processes have hardly been conceptualised. The diverse, well-established research fields related to learning are broadly ignored or loosely applied. In this paper, we systematically explore four interesting learning traditions in terms of their value for gaining an in-depth understanding of learning in sustainability transitions and their relevance for fostering learning, by connecting them to key features of transitions. The selected learning traditions from different disciplinary backgrounds provide valuable insights. None of them sufficiently addresses the complexity of transitions. They include, however, a diversity of relevant learning contexts. We conclude that they have value for investigating new areas such as learning in socio-technological regimes and in later phases of a transition, while enlightening forms of learning that have not yet been fully recognised in transition studies, such as superficial learning, unlearning, and learning to resist change.
Sociologia Ruralis, 2017
In-depth insight into the relationship between reflexivity, learning and reflection is needed to ... more In-depth insight into the relationship between reflexivity, learning and reflection is needed to enrich governance approaches for persistent sustainability issues. However, current conceptualisations of reflexivity seem limited for the understanding of system innovation processes-reflexivity remains highly abstract and often gets conflated with reflection, and, by extension, learning. In this article, we critique the concepts reflexivity and learning and then present an exploratory case-study of greenhouse vegetable production in the Netherlands to examine their relations. Results suggest a shifting compatibility between initiative and context-reflexivity alignment: the extent to which an innovation initiative shares an orientation towards structural change with its institutional setting. Furthermore, learning sometimes appeared to increase reflexivity, as often assumed, but we found evidence of the opposite as well-reflexivity changes preceding learning. Synthesising the results, we posit three archetypal modes that describe the relation between learning in and reflexivity of a system innovation initiative.
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Papers by Barbara van Mierlo
Seeking to fill this gap, researchers from ‘Wageningen University & Research’ in the Netherlands (WUR) and the ‘Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique’ in France (INRA) took the initiative to organize a first international workshop on the topic of “System Innovation towards Sustainable Agriculture” (SISA). This first SISA workshop was held in June 2010 in Lelystad, the Netherlands, and its proceedings were published online in 2012. The INRA Science in Society unit organized the second SISA workshop in Paris from 22-23 May 2014 that was hosted by AgroParisTech. Financial support was received from INRA, IFRIS and WUR. This proceedings is a result from the second SISA workshop.