Understanding the Transition to a Bio-Based Economy: Exploring Dynamics Linked to the Agricultural Sector in Sweden
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Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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System Dynamics Group, Department of Geography, University of Bergen, Postboks 7802, 5020 Bergen, Norway
3
Center for Studies and Research on Internal Development (CERDI), University of Clermont Auvergne, FR-320, 63009 Clermont-Ferrand, France
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2018, 10(5), 1504; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051504
Received: 5 March 2018
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Revised: 2 May 2018
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Accepted: 3 May 2018
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Published: 10 May 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Transition Towards a Bio-Based Economy: New Technologies, New Products, New Policies)
There is a growing interest in the bio-based economy, evident in the policy domain as well as in the academic literature. Its proponents consider it an opportunity to address multiple societal challenges, and the concept has broad reach across different sectors of society. However, a potential transition process is also linked to areas of risk and uncertainty, and the need for interdisciplinary research and for the identification of potential trade-offs and synergies between parallel visions of the bio-based economy have been emphasized. The aim of this paper is to contribute to addressing this gap by using an approach combining tools for systems analysis with expert interviews. Focusing specifically on dynamics in the agricultural sector in Sweden, an integrated understanding of the social and ecological processes contributing to or hindering a transition in this area is developed, high order leverage points are identified, and potential impacts of proposed interventions explored. The paper also considers cross-sectoral linkages between the forestry and agricultural sectors.
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Keywords:
sustainability transitions; systems analysis; causal loop diagrams; bio-based economy; bio-economy; agriculture
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MDPI and ACS Style
Bennich, T.; Belyazid, S.; Kopainsky, B.; Diemer, A. Understanding the Transition to a Bio-Based Economy: Exploring Dynamics Linked to the Agricultural Sector in Sweden. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1504. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051504
AMA Style
Bennich T, Belyazid S, Kopainsky B, Diemer A. Understanding the Transition to a Bio-Based Economy: Exploring Dynamics Linked to the Agricultural Sector in Sweden. Sustainability. 2018; 10(5):1504. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051504
Chicago/Turabian StyleBennich, Therese, Salim Belyazid, Birgit Kopainsky, and Arnaud Diemer. 2018. "Understanding the Transition to a Bio-Based Economy: Exploring Dynamics Linked to the Agricultural Sector in Sweden" Sustainability 10, no. 5: 1504. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051504
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