Research Actors in Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development: Perspectives from the Inside Pamela Matson School of Earth Sciences Woods Institute for the Environment Stanford University (With input from Yaqui, USER, and CSI teams) The pipeline model of knowledge and technology transfer rarely works. Knowledge producers Knowledge Users Questions: Roles of Research Organizations? (research and linking roles) Impacts on Agenda Setting? (both for research and decision making) Challenges for teams engaging in these roles? Focus on Experiences of Three Groups: Unit for Social and Environmental Research Chiang Mai University Climate and Societal Interactions Program NOAA Office of Global Programs Sustainability in the Yaqui Valley Team Stanford University/CIMMYT Roles of Research Organizations? (research and linking roles) Agricultural Sustainability in the Yaqui Valley Yaqui Team Center for Environmental Science and Policy, Stanford University Patronato (Farmer Research) CIMMYT & CGIAR centers Stanford INIFAP / CIANO Practice Regulation/ Policy Research Producers Innov ative Agriculture Knowledge System, Yaqui Valley Knowledge --> action??? research Functions: Research and linking via boundary individual Matson et al. Science 1998 Patronato (Farmer Research) CIMMYT & CGIAR centers Stanford INIFAP / CIANO Practice Regulation/ Policy Research Producers Innov ative Agriculture Knowledge System, Yaqui Valley Knowledge --> action??? research linking Functions: Research and linking with farmers Patronato (Farmer Research) CIMMYT & CGIAR centers Stanford INIFAP / CIANO Practice Regulation/ Policy Research Producers Innov ative Agriculture Knowledge System, Yaqui Valley Knowledge --> action??? Credit Unions Functions: Research, linking and co- production with farmers and boundary organizations Karen Village, northern Thailand Unit for Social and Environmental Research Chiang Mai University Functions: Research Facilitation Platform-creation Unit for Social and Environmental Research Function: Boundary organization Goal of the program -- use of climate science by resource managers and policy makers to anticipate seasons, and to improve decisions Convening function: defining, funding, convening workshops and other gatherings for exchange of knowledge and co-production of forecasts The NOAA Climate and Societal Interactions Group The NOAA Climate and Societal Interactions Group The NOAA Climate and Societal Interactions Group Roles of Research Organizations - research, including co-production - boundary-spanning, linking roles - ever-evolving, with growing tool boxes of engagement and potential for learning Influence on agendas?? -- in terms of decision making, lots of modest examples Beman, Arrigo and Matson 2005 Run-off of fertilizer nitrogen causes coastal over-enrichment and phytoplankton blooms $$ Changing farmers perspectives Influence on agendas?? -- in terms of decision making, lots of modest examples -- in terms of research agenda: > Fellowships for action research (USER) > Climate Forecast Application Systems (CSI) > Monitoring networks in Yaqui, sustainability research agendas in university (Yaqui) Influence on agendas?? -- in terms of decision making, lots of modest examples -- in terms of research agenda: > Fellowships for action research (USER) > Climate Forecast Application Systems (CSI) > Monitoring networks in Yaqui, sustainability research agendas in university (Yaqui) Challenges: Continuity and long-term engagement - people (researchers and decision makers) move on - funding stops or is too limited, etc Challenges: Meeting expectations - sense of responsibility to decision makers - fear of promising too much - need to get the right answer vs learning by doing and experimentation Challenges: Welfare of Participants: - Safety concerns - Career path issues Challenges: Value in the home institution - under the radar for protection (CSI) - left alone (USER) - highly valued, catalyzing new directions (Yaqui) Conclusions Research Actors in Knowledge Systems: - Can play both research and linking roles - Learn by doing and evolve - Influence (sometimes modestly) agendas and outcomes - Are challenged in terms of funding, high expectations, etcbut have very high job satisfaction