Doing what with whom? Stakeholder analysis in a large transdisciplinary research project in South-East Asia

Abstract

The transdisciplinary research project LEGATO analysed the combined generation of provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services in wet rice agriculture in South-East Asia and applied ecological engineering to future-proof it against global change and environmental pollution challenges. Due to its transdisciplinary character and the sheer size, a systematic stakeholder involvement was inevitable. Starting with stakeholder identification by snowballing from a limited number of contacts, we derived a multi-level stakeholder analysis and tried to involve those identified as relevant. Applying different means and aiming at different depth of involvement, the effort can be judged successful. The paper describes the methods used to identify and classify stakeholders, and key elements of the stakeholder management, guided by the BiodivERsA Stakeholder Activation Handbook. While on the local level, farmers and extension workers turned out to be influential and interested stakeholders in both countries, as well as local (PH) or provincial authorities (VN), differences were manifest on higher levels due to the divergent institutional setting. National-level agents were hard to get interested in both countries, and influential agents along the production chain, including middle men, were not really interested in collaboration.

Exactly Where Does the River Need Space to Move? Seeking Participatory Translation of Fluvial Geomorphology into Flood Management

“…2015; Schmidt and Pröpper 2017; Spangenberg et al. 2018). The steering committee took this finding seriously: successful stakeholder collaboration requires clearly defined objectives and goals (Reed 2008; Wesselink et al.…”

“…This model was grounded in the principle that those who conduct river governance in the state should formulate it to better employ it (Pohl and Hirsch 2007;Lang et al 2012). However, it has been shown that by not articulating desired objectives, a highly collaborative project risks pursuing diverging intentions and expectations, and this may limit the impact of the participatory research and may result in disappointment among those involved (Wesselink et al 2011;Spangenberg et al 2015;Schmidt and Pr€ opper 2017;Spangenberg et al 2018). The steering committee took this finding seriously: successful stakeholder collaboration requires clearly defined objectives and goals (Reed 2008;Wesselink et al 2011), and relied on facilitation to balance the need for well-defined goals with inclusivity and avoid divergence in intentions and expectations among participants.…”

Stakeholders’ Participatory Framework in Rice Agribusiness

“…These stakeholders include farmers, association of farmers, consumers, government or authorities, raw material suppliers, industry associations, competitors, general public, research institution, and middlemen (Flor et. al., 2019;Spangenberg et. al., 2018;Indumathi et.…”

“…Previous research has identified the need for stakeholder analysis to increase the development of the rice agricultural sector. Stakeholder analysis research of agriculture projects in South-East Asia found that farmers, their extension workers, and local authorities are the influential factors (Spangenberg et. al., 2018).…”

Sustainable Development and Social, Ecological, and Economic Transformation in Vietnam: Insights for Policy

“…Thus land use planning is crucialtransforming agricultural land into industrial zones or selling it to foreign investors who, in the extreme, may concert it to golf courses [5], endangers food security in the medium to longer term. Such land conversion has caused dissatisfaction and hidden conflicts between farmers and planning authorities which despite not breaking into the open due to uneven power potentials, undermine social cohesion and trust [21].…”