1st Edition
Shared Governance for Sustainable Working Landscapes
Sustaining our agricultural landscapes is no longer just a technical, scientific or even political problem, but it has evolved into a socially complex, so-called wicked problem of conflicting social governance and economics. This creates an extreme economic obstacle where the value of ecosystem services remains low and diffuse and the transactions costs remain high and multiple.Using Uber-like business platform technology and a shared governance model, a symbiotic demand for environmental benefits is created. Enabling multi-sector transactions for environmental benefits, this platform innovation would remedy the "tragedy of the commons"; the economic nemesis to achieving landscape sustainability. In a nutshell, to sustain our agricultural landscapes a transdisciplinary approach supported by a shared governance model housed within a multi-sided platform in needed. This book introduces an assessment framework identifying governance actors, styles and ratios for socio-ecological systems. The assessment uses a new governance compass to identify the types of actors completing which tasks and identifies the styles of governance used to complete the tasks. It is aimed to anyone involved in sustainability science, agricultural policy planning, or integrated landscape design.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Author
Chapter 1 Introduction
Agricultural transition phases
A paradigm shift
A wicked problem
Sustainability science
The wicked features of agriculture sustainability
Ecological–economic disconnections
Conflicting governance styles
Disparate stakeholder values
Variable natural capital
Putting sustainability science to practice
An environmental market signal
Spatially based trading platform
Path to agricultural landscape sustainability
Assessing wicked problems
Devising wicked solutions
Recognizing the glocal commons
Global perspectives
Glocal and regional perspectives
The grand economic challenge
Section I: An enduring wicked problem
Chapter 2 An enduring wicked problem
A wicked problem
Sources of wicked (landscape sustainability) problems
Varied scope and scale of natural capital outputs and outcome
Growing number of disparate stakeholder values
Conflicting governance styles
The complex agriculture landscape system
The simple and complicated
The complex
The system as it is
Natural capital
System stakeholders
Production group
Organizational governance styles
Transdisciplinary challenge
Disciplinary evolution
Application challenges
A wicked resilient problem
Chapter 3 Natural capital outputs and outcomes
A natural economic capital
Not a new idea
The landscape as a living factory floor
An automobile factory
A drinking water factory
The conditionally renewable earth factory
Biomes
Ecosystems
Processes
Functions
Structures
Outputs and outcomes
Varied ecosystem service definitions
Categorize goods and services as same
Categorize goods and services as different
Identify ecosystem services as SPUs
Ecosystem services as FEGS and BRIs
Compatible definitions?
Chapter 4 Disparate stakeholder strategies and values
Agriculture’s four phases
Stakeholder shift and expansion
Incompatible strategies
Public utility sector
Seattle public utilities and the GASB
Des Moines Water Works and county drainage boards
Government agency sector
USDA federal farm policy
EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Protection and
Restoration Order
Agriculture Water Quality Certainty Program
Agriculture industry sector
United Suppliers’ SUSTAIN
NGOs and the corporate sector
The Sustainability Consortium
Field to Market
EPRI water quality trading
Following Carlson’s Law?
Top-down [dis]orderly
Bottom-up chaos
Disparity rooted in culture and governance
Chapter 5 Conflicting governance styles
Organizations
Organizational evolution
Conformist hierarchy
Incentivized hierarchy
Pluralistic hierarchy
Network structure
Organizational structure–governance styles connections
Governance
Governance cultures
Governance styles
Hierarchy governance
Market governance
Network governance
Governance conflicts
Governance trilemma
Governance conflicts in the system as it is
Section II: Devising a wicked solution
Chapter 6 Devising a wicked solution
A transdisciplinary approach
Acquiring system knowledge
Imagination as a wicked solution strategy
Identifying wicked solution sources
Six pilot project case studies
MMPA’s EQA
Minnesota Project’s conservation innovation
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s conservation bridge
Minnesota department of agriculture’s EQA
EPA–USDA–MN Ag water quality certainty program
Chicago SWCD’s AgEQATM
A [Compiled] transdisciplinary approach
Retelling the transdisciplinary story
Transformational knowledge
The system as it ought to be
Identifying the wicked problem and solution partners
Wicked solution sources
Shared governance platform
Enabling communities of practice
Chapter 7 A landscape language
Index-based language form
Landscape data
Data collection
Smart assessments
Index calculations
Creating language content
Landscape intelligence
Simple and compound indices
Natural capital asset portfolio
Purposeful uses
Another market marvel?
Useful applications
Defining eco-services
Natural capital units
Mapping earth’s factory floor
Natural capital values and GDP
Agricultural NCC values
Disruption toward harmonization
Global environmental mechanism
Global environmental asset portfolio
Harmonizing natural capital valuation
Imagining a common landscape language
Chapter 8 Aligning sustainability activities
Governance actors
Shifting actor roles
Governance shifts
Meta-governance
Meta-governors
Governance frameworks
Case study analysis
Case assessment strategy
Governance actors
Governance styles, frameworks, and footprints
Group I case studies—USDA conservation delivery system
Soil Conservation Service CDS
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Natural Resources Conservation Service CDS
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Group I discussion
Group II case studies—Minnesota EQAs
Minnesota Milk Producers Association EQA
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s LEQA
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Chicago SWCD’s AgEQA
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Group II discussion
Group III case studies—emerging strategies
MDA’s Ag Water Quality Certainty Program
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Chesapeake Bay Program BMP Verification
Project components
Assessment and discussion
EPRI’s Ohio River Basin water quality trading
Program components
Assessment and discussion
The Sustainability Consortium
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Field to Market
Project components
Assessment and discussion
United supplier’s SUSTAIN
Project components
Assessment and discussion
Group III discussion
Overall case study findings
Governance of project components
Development
Delivery
Oversight
Valuation
Governance footprints
Aligning governance actors and styles
Chapter 9 A shared governance platform
Shared governance
Shared governance principles
Multisided platforms
Network community
Technology infrastructure
Database and content
Multisided shared governance platform
Creating a new supply
Nonexcludable goods
Excludable goods
"Converting" nonexcludable goods to excludable goods
New user behaviors
Enabling new transactions
Identify transaction costs
Reduce transaction costs
Shared transaction costs and values
MSSG platform transactions
Sustainability 1.0
Sustainability 1.5
Sustainability 2.0
Symbiotic demand versus conflicting governance
Disparate stakeholder governance
Symbiotic demand
Section III: Designing a glocal business ecosystem
Chapter 10 Governance of the glocal commons
Glocalization phenomenon
Social effect
Sustainability supply chain effect
Local + global = glocal commons
Glocal governance pathways
Bottom-up sustainability governance
Top-down sustainability governance
Private sector sustainability governance
Public–private partnerships
Solely private sector
Adaptive pathway
Glocal common governance
Local commons
Glocal commons
Chapter 11 Designing a business ecosystem
Evolving ecosystems
Business ecosystems
e-Commerce ecosystems
An eco-commerce ecosystem concept
Interface of ecoservice value
Ecosystem design layers
Participant layers
Leaders’ layer
Users layer
Contributor layer
Risk management assessment
Strategies for an eco-commerce ecosystem
User magnet
Technology toolbox
Cryptocurrency
Matchmaking, incentives, and trust
Ecosystem emergence considerations
Chapter 12 Enabling an eco-commerce ecosystem
Three phases of transformation
Preparing the system
Adaptive comanagement
Minimal viable platform
A first platform interaction
The next platform interaction
A prepared system
Window of opportunity
Case study windows
Too many "little" windows?
Too big of a window?
Opening a WQ trading window
Entering a WQ trading window
Navigating the transition
Navigating the first WQ transaction
Transforming water quality trading
Enabling symbiotic transactions
Glocal sustainability portfolios
Antithesis of the tragedy of the commons
Building resiliency
Compelling visions
Chapter 13 Conclusion
Wicked principles
Sustainability science
A DNA solution
Platform biomimicry
Stable core
Variable complementary component
Interface
A generic wicked solution platform
A resolutionary path
Chapter 14 Bibliography
Index
Biography
Timothy M. Gieseke’s interdisciplinary career is reflected in the research and insights of his writings. A master’s degree in environmental sciences is a cornerstone for his perspective on agriculture sustainability. He also brings experience in agriculture production, governmental experience in conservation planning, policy analysis at state and federal levels, political endeavors, and agribusiness management. With this near panoramic view of landscape sustainability, Tim recognized the need for a transdisciplinary approach to enable practitioners and policy- makers to transcend and blur the lines between their traditional organizational boundaries. He has carried this vision through several of his local to global efforts.
"I like the clear communication style as Timothy Gieseke takes readers on a journey. He systematically builds his arguments and clarifies the issues in a field that has evolved to be very complex and confusing."
—Leon Cavalli, Hannabell Electronics, Queensland, Australia"Timothy M. Gieseke brings fresh new insights and understanding to the problem of how to create sustainable forms of agriculture. A compulsory read for anyone involved in sustainability science, agricultural policy planning, or integrated landscape design."
—Valerie Payn, Integrated Landscape Designer, Port Shepstone Area, South Africa"This is a superbly researched and written text."
—Joseph M. Bradley, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA"This book is a timely contribution to sustainability in agricultural and rural landscapes."
—Alan Carter, Celto Canadian, Vancouver, Canada"The strength of the book lies in the application of the model of sustainability governance to eleven case studies, which greatly enriches understanding of processes necessary for the environmental market signal to have meaning."
— Cornelia Butler Flora, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA"Tim Gieseke has authored an important big picture contribution to the scientific literature on today’s seemingly intractable, environmental problems associated with agricultural production. The book provides an excellent overview of the nature of landscape-scale ecological problems, often referred to in government regulatory terms as non-point source problems."
— Andrew Manale, US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Policy (retired), Washington, D.C., USA"Timothy Gieseke’s book Shared Governance for Sustainable Working Landscapes is a tour de force on how to effectively manage the 'wicked problems' of unsustainable agricultural systems. This book, which is a novel addition to the growing library of books on sustainability, would be highly useful to policy makers on agricultural systems as well as conservation planners and managers. Also, the book is great for practitioners who are interested in recognizing and managing wicked problems in domains other than agriculture."
— Rod King, Consultant on conversational project management, Clovis, California, USA"Tim Gieseke’s book takes us exactly in the direction we need to go – exploring new business models for investing in and sustaining the wide range of goods and services provided by landscapes. Overall, this book is an ambitious effort to develop actionable ways forward for sustaining the lands and waters on which we all rely."
— Brad Gentry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA"In simple language, following in the footsteps of Ostrom and Meadows, Gieseke explains "easy-to-use" systems-level frameworks so you too can analyze, assess, and determine sustainable landscape strategies. Whether you work as a financial analyst, urban planner, corporate strategist, or in agriculture production, Shared Governance for Sustainable Working Landscapes adds one more excellent set of tools to add to your sustainability tool chest."
— Gabriel Thoumi, CFA, Climate Advisers, Washington, DC, USA"The author sets out to test whether a multisided shared governance platform, supporting an eco-commerce ecosystem, could deliver a solution that all reasonable stakeholder groups might embrace. Starting at the landscape – as the "point of service" – is interesting; whether governance systems can be designed with sophistication to deliver the desired, share outcome, readers will need to establish for themselves. Even more intriguing is the possibility that valued landscape components might be delivered through the creation of e-commerce ecosystem service values."
— Richard Wakeford, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom"Farmers and all the players in the Ag game have, different visions, different solutions, different problems, different motives, different interests. Mr. Gieseke writes of the wicked problems that come from conflicting interests and provides solutions with his talk of Platforms and E-Commerce Ecosystems, Shared Governance and Environmental Market Signals. Mr. Gieseke spent long nights studying and developing his ideas on Sustainability. Through it all, Tim never forgets his roots as a fourth generation farmer, providing solutions so that fifth generation can smell the smells of a barn in the morning and walk in the footsteps of their forefathers."
— Merle Hanson, Author of Portraits, Winona, Minnesota, USA"Through the nodes of ecology, economy, natural capitals, governance, and stakeholder values, this volume converges towards the definition of glocal business ecosystem, a concept transcending sector boundaries. More than a set of ingenious suggestions and opportunities to change resource management, this book is a source of inspiration to tackle current challenges with a holistic vision. It is a manual with guidelines to innovate and renew our way of building society, with approaches suggested by nature itself, and a license to rethink our world imaginatively."
— Fanny Barsics, Formerly of the University of Liège, Belgium"On many levels, rich and thought-provoking writing. Indigenous innovation and science partnerships engage millennia old landscapes, and its critical, egalitarian customary governance and management practices. Tim’s writing raises a unique question for sustainability science: ‘What can we learn in terms of policy, planning and management?’ from the dynamic function of customary governance and its transdisciplinary approaches to sustaining complex natural capital."
— John Locke, BioCultural Consulting Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia