Adaptability of Backcasting for Sustainable Development

Abstract

To cope with problems like climate change, lack of food security, and poverty, a more reasonable use of existing resources is needed. Hence, a transition towards a sustainable behavior in the industrial as well as the developing countries is of core importance. Transition management and backcasting are two methodologies that have been developed mainly in the Netherlands to achieve this behavioral change. This paper examines in a case study, in a small village in the mid-hills of Nepal, whether these methodologies are also applicable in a developing country. Moreover it analyzes which adjustments are needed to achieve good outcomes. First results show that this methodology seems to be appropriate to trigger a change in thinking towards long-term considerations amongst the small scale farmers. Long-range thinking and future envisioning can stimulate investments in technologies that tend to be sustainable and guarantee a more stable return in the long run. Compared to programs in Europe, instructors should adjust time frame and workshop design.