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Context A3 - Share Experiences

Problem A3 - Share Experiences

Problem StatementDescriptionConsequences
Successful examples of transition to sustainable land and soil management are not well documented and shared globally.

Programs that have been successful in increasing SH&SOC are poorly documented and too scattered to find. Reports are too technical to read and inconsistent measurement tools are used.

Positive results tend to be shared only within a project or organizational network and are not publicly available. The inhomogeneity of success indicators makes it difficult to compare different projects and programs, and economic benefits are not always reported.

Because the (economic) benefits of moving away from land exploitation are not clear, the transition to sustainable alternatives is perceived as a radical, and marginal phenomenon that should not be practiced widely.

Causes A3 - Share Experiences

CauseDescription
1Insufficient networking

Lack of effective vertical networks across scientists, farmers, and key national stakeholders along the whole value chain, especially in developing countries.

There is no lack of networks within each sector, but cross sectors networks are yet to be built.

2Scarcity of convincing storiesSuccess stories with economic benefits remain marginal in an agricultural world dominated by land-exploitative systems. Different stakeholders need not only different stories to motivate them, but also guidance and support to change their behavior so that they ultimately benefit.
3Little incentive

Sharing success stories widely beyond your own networks means a lot of work for which there is no incentive.

There must be lots of success stories. But sharing those success stories with other people does not give them (project holders) direct benefit.

4Insufficient evidence

Inconsistent indicators, measurement, and evaluation tools to value a project and economic benefits are always not emphasized.

Programs having success with increasing soil carbon lack guidance and support for measuring increases in soil carbon and very often such measurement can be costly for low-budget projects.

5Growth ParadigmEnvironmental sustainability is not considered as economically successful as exploitative practices because the economic benefits of regenerative practices are seldom reported. Along the value chains from farmers to business groups, success is always measured by profits. For consumers, success is getting the best or most abundant food at the lowest cost. A different mindset needs to be established for all parties to pursue 'success' measured by both the 'amount of carbon sequestrated' and cost-cut and yield increase as a result.
6Misconception of successThe dichotomy of environmental and economic benefits gives the public the wrong perception that one must sacrifice economic benefits to achieve environmental goals. Farmers applying the right understanding of soil and plant science in their practices would reap both increases in soil carbon and yield. Economic benefits should also be an important success indicator of regenerative practices.

Implementation strategy A3 - Share Experiences

Activities A3 - Share Experiences

ActivityDescription
1

Expand the notion of success

Define and mainstream a holistic (quantifiable) concept of success that goes beyond the economic benefits of higher yields or lower costs and considers climate, ecological and societal benefits, and is instrumental to the creation of carbon markets as additional drivers of change.

2

Gather success stories

Organize calls for success stories amongst the different stakeholder groups of the Initiative, in different languages, among different networks, and with clearly defined selection criteria and procedures. Identify target systems that are considered transformative, and search actively for successful implementation examples.

3

Organize events

Present success stories during workshops, such as the CoP-workshops, which can contribute to the exchange of ideas and techniques with a wider audience. Organize an annual virtual fair.
4

Promote Communities of Practice (CoP)

Expand the network of actors with a mutual vision and common goals in the field of Soil Health (SH) and Soil Organic Carbon (SOC).

5Provide an exchange platformSystematically gather and disseminate relevant content. Enable problem-oriented exchange and collaboration of actors via the collaborative platform.

Critical Success Factors (CSFs) A3 - Share Experiences

Critical Success FactorDescription
1The improved conception of successRedefine and mainstream a new concept of higher success expanding the economic profit to climate and societal benefits. A new meaning of 'higher success' cannot be defined only through the statistical data of carbon sequestration but other important aspects like social-economic and cultural impacts, etc. It cannot be contrived as a new weapon of cultural imperialism under the disguise of a global ecological crisis.
2

Effective networking

Expand networks to share success stories through common partners and related goals. Build a successful community that shares people's knowledge of new and emerging science-based techniques in similar climatic and ecological contexts.

3

Evidence of benefits

Harmonize the quantification of benefits (economic, nutritional, environmental, societal) and put them at the center of the storytelling. Internationally agreed and communicable standards of ‘success’, ‘SOC increment and mitigation effect’, ‘yield enhancement’, ‘food nutrition enhancement and cost-cut must be established through consensus building before stories of success become the new norm for people to follow.
4

Appropriate Targeting

Address different stakeholder groups with tailored stories of their particular interest. It is important to have different stories for different stakeholders to reach the ground: farmers, NGOs, companies, researchers, media, the wider public, and decision-makers. 

5


Cross-cultural communication

Facilitate translations and the possibility to access information via different channels. Quite a few successful experiences, though measured qualitatively, have been reported in less developed countries and in mainland China and other non-English speaking regions. It is for the world's benefit that their experiences can also be shared through this international platform to create real global impacts.
6

Visibility of success stories

Provide a digital platform to increase the visibility of success stories. It is difficult to give project holders direct incentives (e.g., economic incentives). But increasing the visibility of a success story, for example on the website, could be an incentive because it makes some people happy and excited that his/her effort appears on the website as a success story.
7Practice recognition

Science-based techniques and knowledge of regenerative farming alternatives must be recognized and promoted by a critical mass of practitioners.

Barriers A3 - Share Experiences

BarriersDescription
1

A false idea of success

It can be subjective to qualify “a success” or “a failure”. It would be good to build an analysis grid regarding sustainable soil management.

2

An insufficient distinction between success and promotion

Make the difference between a success story being told and marketing promotion of an action or a program. It can be assumed, but it needs to be clarified from the beginning.

3

Cultural and sectoral gaps

Cultural barriers between different sectors along the whole value chain.

Scientists, businessmen, farmers, government officials, politicians, and environmentalists all have different working cultures and languages. All these barriers need to be overcome in order that collaborative platforms can fully function.

4

Digital divide

Other barriers to effective communication and collaboration across sectors are digital and technical gaps. Overcoming such barriers is particularly important if a consensus on success indicators is to be reached.
5Insufficient communication meansVariable to poor access to communication means by the target group.
6

Language

Science-based regenerative knowledge and practice dissemination to practitioners requires effective communication means.

Farmers in less developed areas are seldom bilingual. Lots of translation work need to be done to reach out to the non-English speaking communities to make the Initiative a real global involvement. Lots of work also need to be done to translate the scientific language to get it simplified without falsification.

7Low level of inclusion and access Targets groups may not be part of a network or group of influence to have access to information


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