Reidsma, P., Janssen, S., Jansen, J., & van Ittersum, M. (2017). On the development and use of farm models for policy impact assessment in the European Union – A review. Agric. Syst., 159, 111–125.
Abstract: • Evidence use in EU Impact Assessment reports is limited. • Many scientific studies used farm models for assessment of policies in the EU. • Scientific challenges include understanding farmer decision-making and interactions. • Model codes and data should be published, including evaluation. • Stronger science-policy interaction is required. Farm models are potentially relevant tools for policy impact assessment. Governments and international organizations use impact assessment (IA) as an ex-ante policy process and procedure to evaluate impacts of policy options as part of the introduction of new policies. IA is increasingly used. This paper reviews both the use of farm models in such policy IAs in the European Commission, and the development and use of farm models for policy IA by the scientific community over the past decade. A systematic review was performed, based on 202 studies from the period 2007–2015 and results were discussed in a science-policy workshop. Based on the literature review and the workshop, this paper describes progress in the development of farm models, challenges in their use in policy processes and a research and cooperation agenda. We conclude that main issues for a research agenda include: 1) better understanding of farmer decision-making and effects of the social milieu, with increased focus on the interactions between farmers and other actors, the link to the value chain, and farm structural change; 2) thorough and consistent model evaluation and model comparison, with increased attention for model sensitivity and uncertainty, and 3) the organization of a network of farm modellers. In addition, the agenda for science-policy cooperation emphasizes the need for: 4) synthesizing research evidence into systematic reviews as an institutional element in the existing science-policy-interfaces for agricultural systems, 5) improved and timely data collection, allowing to assess heterogeneity in farm objectives, management and indicators, and 6) stronger science-policy interaction, moving from a research-driven to a user-driven approach.
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Nendel, C., Ewert, F., Rötter, R. P., Rosenzweig, C., Jones, J. W., Hatfield, J. L., et al. (2013). Addressing challenges and uncertainties for, the use of agro-ecosystem models to, assess climate change impact and food security across scales..
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Janssen, S. (2015). Inventory of data and data sharing mechanism for model linking and scaling exercises (Vol. 6).
Abstract: This deliverable lays out the work as done as part of MACSUR CropM on ‘Inventory of data and data sharing mechanism for model linking and scaling exercises’. In summary not much work was done, as it was found that there was not real demand for the activity in this task. The task in itself was servicing the other work as part of MACSUR, and as the service was not in demand, it was decided to take a low profile and wait for specific requests by partners for data in relation to model linking and upscaling. No Label
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Janssen, S., Hansen, J. G., Jorgensen, J., & Jørgensen, M. S. (2015). Operational database for storing and extracting data (Vol. 6).
Abstract: This deliverable lays out the work as done as part of MACSUR CropM on data, with the focus on improving data management and have shared data curation for future use. The issue was tackled with help from the MACSUR central hub coordination in the form of Jason Jargenson from University of Reading. The data management as proposed and implemented in this deliverable is very much a bottom up process, in which partners in a meeting in Spring 2013 in Aarhus investigated the best way forward for data management across activities in CropM.As a follow up to this, the work was mainly divided in three parts: 1. The Open Data Journal for Agricultural Research, mainly focused on long term data archival and citation of data sets, as input and outputs to the modelling work, as part of MACSUR, lead by Wageningen UR 2. The Geonetwork data catalog hosted at Aarhus Universitet, that allows for operational access and storage of data sets as part of the ongoing work, also for restricted access of the consortium, and as a first step to visualization, lead by Aarhus Universitet. 3. The work on rating data sets, that provides a tool for improving data set access in an early phase for connecting them to models, lead by Reading University. At the end of the deliverable some next steps are giving for data activities in the context of AgMIP and beyond. No Label
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Janssen, S., Houtkamp, J., De Groot, H., & Schils, R. (2015). Online web tool for data visualization (Vol. 6).
Abstract: This deliverable lays out the work as done as part of MACSUR CropM on data, with the focus on providing a web tool for visualization of model output. It was decided early on that not a specific MACSUR web tool would be developed as part of MACSUR for phase 1, and mostly results would be visualized in other available tools, such as the Global Yield Gap Atlas, which are recognised resources for visualizations. Only in relationship to the MACSUR Geonetwork data catalog hosted at Aarhus University some developments where started. Operationally speaking, most data was still being generated during phase 1, so there was not enough to visualize on specific websites and partners did not commit financial resources to their development, and only in kind was available. No Label
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