Abstract
Collaboration between researchers and society is essential when addressing challenging 21st Century questions. Such collaboration often comprises international, inter- and trans-disciplinary teams, as well as temporal constraints, resulting in inherently complex research projects. Although practitioners increasingly appreciate the value of bottom-up approaches, operational details are often overlooked. Further knowledge is necessary, especially about what might endanger project success. Using a food security project, this paper analyzes conflict experiences and prevention strategies between project members and local stakeholders through personal interviews and focus group discussions. Data for this case study was collected in four Tanzanian villages. This paper identifies multiple conflict drivers, including missing information transfers; diverging expectations; overlaps of field activities with seasonal farming activities; and obscure participant selection. Identified conflict prevention strategies include developing trust, reducing language barriers, and involving locals. Research practitioners, institutes, and hegemonic actors are responsible for ensuring that projects will not worsen the entered situation and negatively affect the community, adhering to the “do no harm” principle; therefore, it is vital to be aware and seek to improve international and collaborative research projects that actively involve local stakeholders. This paper supports the understanding of interacting with local communities in a food security context to support the development of innovative collaboration approaches and methods. Through collaboration, it is possible to find sustainable solutions to pressing issues.
Highlights
Food insecurity, climate change, and increasing wealth inequity are examples of 21st Century challenges where sustainable solutions are needed to prevent suffering, as well as irreversible negative consequences and impacts for both natural and human systems [1,2,3,4,5]
This study aims to identify (1) conflict causes between local stakeholders (LSs) and project members (PMs), the main involved actors at the operational level of a transdisciplinary food security project, and (2) strategies that can prevent conflict
Our study found numerous challenges that can impact negatively the collaboration of local stakeholders (LSs) and project members (PMs) when working together on a project on sustainable development
Summary
Climate change, and increasing wealth inequity are examples of 21st Century challenges where sustainable solutions are needed to prevent suffering, as well as irreversible negative consequences and impacts for both natural and human systems [1,2,3,4,5]. A decrease in economic activities, negative effects for the health status of societies, shortages in food production, and effects on water supplies are all examples of negative consequences that must be urgently addressed [5,6]. Addressing these 21st Century challenges and complex issues requires both bottom-up research approaches at the science–society nexus and collaboration among researchers [7,8]. Energy, and food (WEF) nexus research and their hotspots emphasize the importance of including all connected actors to enable and promote integrative methods and approaches to secure, for instance, a sustainable food supply [6,9]. As LSs are core participants in these projects, with a high degree of involvement, any problems, challenges, and conflict affecting their collaboration might endanger project success
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