USA: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 30 Document Number: D10566
Notes:
10 pages., via website, The national magazine of the Sierra Club., FOR 47 YEARS, HARVEY KRAGE LIVED IN a white farmhouse with red shutters on the side of a bluff about 11 miles from the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota. He and his family kept ducks in a pair of ponds and drank water from the springhouse in their backyard. For three decades, Krage commuted from the farm through a woodland of red cedar and black maple, past corn and bean fields, to the small city of Winona, where he retreaded massive, heavy construction tires for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Then for another decade, he drove the company's semitrailers, passing the long hours with talk radio, especially the diatribes of right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh. That's how he first heard about climate change, "about how crazy these scientists were."
Hirsch, Darya (author), Heuschkel, Zoe (author), and Terlau, Wiltrud (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2018
Published:
Germany
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 106 Document Number: D10930
Notes:
2018 International European Forum (163rd EAAE Seminar), February 5-9, 2018, Innsbruck, Austria. International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks. 5 pages., Urban food systems consist of many stakeholders with different perspectives, different interests and different governance tools. This study aimed at developing potential future scenarios for the food system of Cologne by analysing the system with a Delphi approach. In our research-design, the suitability of the Delphi-method was evaluated not only as a tool for future modelling and scenario design, but also as a communication tool among the group of participants on a multistakeholder platform. As a case study, the Food Policy Council of Cologne, Germany was used. Cologne can be seen as a forerunner among German cities in the development of a new urban food policy. Some of the successful steps to re-envisioning food as an urban system include joining the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, the decision of the City Council to become an edible city and the establishment of a Food Policy Council. For the study it was important to capture participants’ visions of a common goal regarding the governance of the urban food system and also to identify mental ‘silos’. It was obvious that the municipality of Cologne together with the Food Policy Council made great efforts towards participatory processes to build a vision for a sustainable and regional food supply. However, many stakeholder-groups in the process still work exclusively among themselves and do not actively practice the confrontation with the viewpoints of other relevant groups. This supports the maintenance of ‘silos’ and leaves little room for face-to-face discussions. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to explore key components of food provisioning in the future for Cologne while confronting all stakeholders (municipal administration and politicians, farmers and food activists) with the perspectives of all group members. We used a multi-stakeholder Delphi approach with 19 panellists to find out essential components of the municipal regional food provisioning system in Cologne. Unique in this Delphi study is the bringing together of municipal administration, regional urban farmers and food activists. The research is still on-going, but preliminary results show that more communication among all relevant actors, especially horizontally among different city departments, in the urban food system is needed.
11 pages., Via UI Online Catalog., Author notes that farmers, creditors and mediators have somewhat different perspectives, creating difficulties in the mediation process. This analysis involved a mail survey involving a random sample of farmers, representatives of the financial institution involved, and the mediator (Farm Credit Services staff). Respondents were asked to base their general experience with mediation. Result measurements involved satisfaction level of participants, premediation activities of the mediator, mediator activities during the session, characteristics of the participants, and relationships between the disputing parties. Findings highlighted the need to train mdiators in a wide variety of contextual and substantive techniques.
7 pages., Online via UI Catalog. 7 pages., "Taking a dispute to court costs money - lots of money. Mediation is often a cheaper and quicker alternative, and being properly prepared can help the process."
5 pages., Online via UI Catalog. September-October issue., Authors described types of legal disputes in the equine industry, addressed why and when to use mediation, and offered suggestions on mediation methods.
19 pages., Online via UI Catalog., Authors discussed the benefits and challenges of managing environmental disputes through facilitation and mediation, where a neutral third party is engaged to help design and manage a constructive problem-solving process. The article included examples of mediation efforts.
17 pages., Online via UI e-subscription, Author described a process which led to consensus on a new environmental law mediated by legislators and the governor. Identified key elements in the process: (1) the issue must be ripe for action; the parties must feel something may happen imminently without their input. (2) the issue must be complex, not likely to be addressed satisfactorily without cooperative problem solving. (3) the parties must be patient and committed to spending whatever time it takes to reach an agreement.
3 pages., Online via UI e-subscription., Lenders involved in the University of Minnesota Extension Farmer-Lender Mediation Program sent 55% more mediation notices to farmers in fiscal year 2009, compared with the previous year. These notices generated 1,102 requests for mediation by farmers, 639 were completed, and 66% reached a settlement.
4 pages., Online via UI e-subscription, "Our society had the concept of social justice informing its dispute resolution procedures for centuries before the adversarial system was introduced by the British." This article involved an experimental project in reviving dispute settlement through consensus in rural Tamil Nadu. Author described experience with a consensus program involving an informal approach. The description including a case example to illustrate the procedures and guidelines used in pursuit of shared justice.
