Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Key features of the three spinoff cases
table 9.2
The empowerment case
- an orchestrated, socio-
economic spinoff
The ICT case - an
opportunity-driven,
technological spinoff
The lifestyle case - an
opportunity-driven/
orchestrated socio-
economic spinoff
Location
A rural community
in Madhya Pradesh,
India
Rural areas in
Kwazulu-Natal,
South Africa
Rural areas in
Xinjiang, China
Target group
SHG members,
primarily
smallholder farmers
Commercial and
smallholder farmers
Farmers with diverse
agricultural methods,
crops and land
tenure
Research
activity
Participatory
compilation of a
community Water
Prosperity Index
Participatory climate
impact modelling
Climate adaptation
efforts among
farmers
Orchestration
Establishment of
SHGs to improve
women's economic
situation
None by outside
actors
Creation of
policies to raise
rural incomes,
to counteract
urbanization
Spinoff
catalyst
Empowerment
Use of cellphones to
fight forest fires and
stock theft
Urbanized lifestyle
induced demand for
tourist activities and
healthy, organic food
Impact on
climate
adaptive
capacity
Increased capacity to
solve water-related
problems, confidence
to participate in
meetings and voice
opinions
Access to technology
and social networks
for knowledge
sharing and early
warning
Increased ability
to tap into new
sources of income or
livelihoods
wildfires and stock theft were the two main problems shared by commercial
farmers and smallholders alike (Andersson et al. 2013; Wilk et al. 2013). 2 The
case describes the potential emerging from the spread of cellphones among local
small-scale farmers, enabling them to join fire-fighting networks that could
reduce community climate vulnerability.
The lifestyle case concerns an opportunity-driven, socio-economic spinoff. A
two-year research project on agricultural vulnerability to socio-economic and
climate change among a diverse set of farmers in Xinjiang, China, included semi-
structured interviews with 50 farmers with various agricultural practices and
types of land tenure . 3 It showed that the growing number of high-income urban
households has created a demand not only for more varied types of food, such
as organically grown mushrooms and vegetables, but also for other services such
 
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