The aim is to pass on and share knowledge, methods and tools
that enable the control and collective management of complex
systems. To this end, the multiplicity of viewpoints, on various
levels of the socioeconomic stucture, is now being taken into
account.
"This supportive modelling approach was
initiated and developed by the GREEN team in the mid-1990s, in
the hope of achieving a clearer understanding of the
relationship between nature and society" says Didier Bazile, a
researcher with the CIRAD
"Management of Renewable Resources and Environment" Research
Unit (GREEN).
Since then, the idea has taken root and
many researchers are now using the concept in various fields. It
is being used to develop new management mechanisms, for instance
to reduce disputes over use of a given resource, improve access
to water or conserve biodiversity in situ.
Seed production systems in Africa and
Asia
For both sorghum in Mali and rice in
Thailand, producers, researchers and local decision-makers are
putting their heads together and discussing the problems and
research issues that concern them. The aim is to establish
dynamic models of how cereal seed supply systems operate, to be
used in simulating scenarios of how traditional local varieties
could be conserved.
A multi-agent simulation (MAS) model was
developed following role-playing workshops involving farming
communities and local leaders. It is modular, summarizes the
cosial determinants of sorghum varietal diversity and makes it
possible to monitor exchanges of varieties between villages and
farms. The system is also open to climatic risk management
strategies and can be used to explore the criteria applied when
choosing seed suppliers.
In Thailand, a partnership between CIRAD
and regional and national universities and government agencies
has made it possible to use the method as part of a commodity
chain approach involving all the various private- and
public-sector partners. This has resulted in quality seed
supplies, and has also served to maintain rice varietal
diversity.
Agronomy and sustainable development
