Elske van de Fliert | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)

Papers by Elske van de Fliert

Smallholder cattle production is one of the most important enterprises for the majority of people... more Smallholder cattle production is one of the most important enterprises for the majority of people in West Nusa Tenggara as a source of income. This paper reports on how gender played a role in innovation uptake in cattle farming across three ethnic groups (Sasaknese, Sumbawanese and Balinese) and recommendations for a communication strategy design that supports effective innovation uptake. The 2015 socio-cultural study applied a case study methodology involving 19 communities. The research found that gender roles in cattle farming varied across ethnic groups. While cattle farming was generally dominated by men, women’s involvement was more significant for the Sasaknese and Balinese with more intensive cattle farming systems. Across all three ethnicities, women had a prominent role in decision making where financial matters and budget allocations were involved. Women’s involvement in meetings was poor due to cultural barriers and improper timings. Given women are important to product...

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Social change is a loaded term. It is not limited to behavioural change or a change in attitudes ... more Social change is a loaded term. It is not limited to behavioural change or a change in attitudes or awareness but fundamentally indicates a change that stems from the adoption of new practices, new ways of doing things by a community or individual, change that is a consequence of new ideas, new processes, new structures and a new ethic of practice, change that results in qualitatively different practices aided by structures that enable such practices. In the context of the major struggles over identity in the 21st century over race, gender and sexuality, social change has been conditioned by this willingness of society to embrace new practices and invest in new enabling structures supportive of such practices. Social change in the context of a contentious politics often takes time and involves a long period of gestation — as is the case with legalising the gay and lesbian movements that remains an unfinished struggle in many parts of our world. Issues related to sexuality often undergirded by religious strictures, moral reasoning and cultural traditions are often impervious to the seeming obviousness of sexual rights — as is the case with the non-acceptance of gays and lesbians in church and society in contemporary Africa irrespective of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s support for such freedoms in South Africa.

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1. Revisiting CSC Theory 2. Revisiting CSC Practice 3. Par... more List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1. Revisiting CSC Theory 2. Revisiting CSC Practice 3. Participation in Theory and Practice 4. Communication, Power and Social Change 5. Agencies, Structures and Social Change 6. The IT Fix 7. The Making and Unmaking of CSC Policy 8. Complexity, Transdisciplinarity and CSC Strategy 9. Communication Rights and Social Change

Knowledge Management for Development Journal, Dec 1, 2014

Agricultural research in Vietnam is typically disciplinary in nature and determined by research a... more Agricultural research in Vietnam is typically disciplinary in nature and determined by research agendas set by national priorities. This approach was not able to address complex issues of farming on steep slopes practiced in the mountainous northwest Vietnam, a region characterised by an ethnically diverse population with a large proportion living below the poverty line. To address this serious natural resource management issue within the complex socioeconomic context, The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) adopted a transdisciplinary and development oriented approach in a project conducted from 2009-2013. A transdisciplinary team involving a range of Vietnamese and Australian organisations conducted participatory research aimed at understanding all aspects of the existing farming systems and subsequently attesting sustainable soil management practices and finding suitable crops to diversify production. This paper describes the use of a participatory monitoring and evaluation system as the key method providing researchers with the opportunity to experience how farmers make decisions and manage the system as a whole rather than in fragments. This system also served as a mechanism to operationalise the transdisciplinary nature of the project allowing researchers and farmers to better value their own and each other’s expertise in their quest to develop sustainable farming systems.

Extension farming systems journal, 2010

... This means that targeting for impact requires scaling-up. Particularly sustainable agricultur... more ... This means that targeting for impact requires scaling-up. Particularly sustainable agricultural approaches such as IPM, where a more natural balance of the larger agroecosystems needs to be established for optimal effectuation of technology components, collective action of ...

Asian journal of agriculture and development, Dec 15, 2011

The yield gap in rice production can be narrowed by improving farmers' access to information. In ... more The yield gap in rice production can be narrowed by improving farmers' access to information. In recent years, the Philippines has witnessed a profusion of information and communication technology (ICT) interventions expected to increase Filipino famers' access to rice farming information, led by the PhilRice Farmers' Text Center. Despite these initiatives, the digital divide further excludes the marginalized. Drawing from literature on ICT for development (ICT4D) and recent trends in Philippine ICT, this paper proposes policy directions that can be pursued by the agriculture sector for more relevant ICT interventions (i.e., making technology generation participatory, marrying of disciplines, exploring technological hybrids, focusing on critical evaluation of ICTs, and tapping farmers' children as infomediaries). It is essential to engage farmers in various stages (i.e., from design to evaluation) of ICT initiatives to maximize the impact of ICTs on their lives and to avoid the misdirection of ICT interventions.

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, May 1, 2011

Building sustainable rural futures: the added value of systems approaches in times of change and uncertainty. 9th European IFSA Symposium, Vienna, Austria, 4-7 July 2010., 2010

In order to institutionalise participatory approaches in the mainstream agricultural research and... more In order to institutionalise participatory approaches in the mainstream agricultural research and development system and enhance impact in farmers' fields, the Indonesian Centre for Agricultural Technology Assessment and Development (ICATAD) established a so-called "Innovation Team". It consists of a group of researchers and extension specialist who experiment with approaches that make farmers rather than technologies the centre of change. Rather than imposing externally developed approaches in an isolated project context, ICATAD apply the "Do-It-Yourself formula" in which the local researchers design their own models based on agreed principles, and incorporate them in their existing structures. The Innovation Team critically evaluated prevailing technology assessment and dissemination approaches, formulated a farmer-centred "Research for Development" model, and tested innovative adaptive research and knowledge exchange approaches in four provinces in Eastern Indonesia. Participatory communication principles are at the core of all planning, implementation and evaluation processes to allow for a dialogue between farmers, researchers and service providers. From being the "know-it-alls", researchers and service providers are learning to identify needs and opportunities from a farmer perspective and becoming facilitators of a change process in which farmers are considered the experts on their own farms. Old habits that are deeply embedded in the agricultural research system cannot be eliminated through short term projects or brief training on participatory approaches. It requires attitude change of both policy makers, researchers and development practitioners, trial and error through real life experiences, and internalisation of tailor-made models into existing structures, which eventually may change those structures.

Integrated Sweetpotato Management through farmer field schools was incorporated into the already ... more Integrated Sweetpotato Management through farmer field schools was incorporated into the already established IPPM FFS (Integrated Pest and Production Management Farmer Field Schools) programme in East Africa. It was aimed at promoting sustainable sweetpotato production and post harvest management. After four months field implementation of this technology-based and farmer education project, partnership was forged with the VITAA (Vitamin A Africa) initiative to disseminate and promote commercial production of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties. Since then a cumulative total of 1622 bags of vines each containing 1800-2400 cuttings ready for planting worth Uganda Shs 9,732,000 (US$ 4866) have been distributed to farmers through farmer-oriented organizations within Soroti district. More than 600 bags of OFSP vines have been distributed to farmers through FFS and VITAA promoting partner organizations. Whereas the other partners reported complete crop failure due to the adverse weather conditions during the first crop cycle, 2 FFS managed to produce orange-fleshed roots for processing and delivered about 1 metric ton of chips to Maganjo processing factory in Kampala. Of an estimated total of 72 acres of OFSP planted during the second cycle, 20% of the planting material was supplied by the FFS vine bank plots. Two sub-counties have priotised sweetpotato as a commercial crop through the NAADS programme. CIP provided two chipper machines to FFS and other sweetpotato producer groups in a bid to transform sweetpotato into an industrial crop and is spearheading the search for linkages to find alternative markets for chips. Although the pilot venture into commercialization through processing did not appear to be profitable, the idea of selling OFSP to boarding schools and other institutions seems to be a more promising alternative market.

Journal of Plant Protection, 1990

Based on experiences of integrated pest management (IPM) development and imple- mentation efforts... more Based on experiences of integrated pest management (IPM) development and imple- mentation efforts in Asia, this chapter elaborates on implications of the choice for an appropriate form of learning platform for separate steps in a research and develop- ment cycle, in order to contribute to sustainable agricultural development. The achievement of high quality impact in farmers' fields on a substantial

Australasian Agribusiness Review, Mar 1, 2015

Since the late 1990s, there has been a great deal of investment by both the Vietnamese government... more Since the late 1990s, there has been a great deal of investment by both the Vietnamese government and international development agencies in the economic development of the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, a highly diverse region experiencing variable stages of transition towards more market-oriented development and social change. A shift towards a research for development approach, targeting the immediate use of research outputs for development purposes, became more visible especially since the late 2000s. It is important to understand the contribution of agricultural research toward rural development, not only in terms of knowing the extent and sustainability of the impacts achieved but also for informing appropriate agricultural policies and research for development strategies in the future. However, the impact assessment of existing agricultural research for development (AR4D) initiatives in the highlands of Vietnam remains problematic considering both the formulation of suitable objectives and the selection of appropriate methods that match those objectives. This paper describes the results of a study that aimed to review and analyse the theories and practice of AR4D impact assessment approaches and the merits and limitations of such approaches to AR4D in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam. The study employed documentary research, focus group discussions with farmers and in-depth interviews with key informants, while thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The study concludes that a holistic approach towards impact assessment is best suited to an economically and culturally diverse region such as the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, and suggests a framework for impact assessment that is based on a comprehensive livelihoods perspective.

Extension farming systems journal, 2010

Participatory approaches have undergone several waves of interest within the agricultural researc... more Participatory approaches have undergone several waves of interest within the agricultural research and development community since the 1970s. There has been a trend from technology-oriented towards farmer-oriented outcomes to better support the requirements of sustainable change. The practice of participatory research and extension under a variety of models, all underpinned by the principles of participatory communication, has been accompanied by debates on what is 'genuine participation' and how different 'types' of participation suit different development objectives. Addressing stakeholder participation has slowly become the norm in project proposal development for most major funding organisations as it is perceived to increase impact. However, very little is required in terms of demonstrating, firstly, that project partners have a common understanding and are in agreement of what type of participation suits the proposed design and context of the research and development process and secondly, that the capacity and political will exist among the partner organisations to allow for and facilitate participation. It is not uncommon that participation is reduced to superficial consultation or even lip service, whilst decision making power remains in the hands of specific stakeholder groups, often those who already had their own agenda for the change process to take place. This paper will discuss the factors and conditions that enable and impede effective collaborative partnerships of stakeholder groups in the context of rural development, particularly in cross-national initiatives. Factors at the level of the individual include mentality, communication skills and facilitation capacity. At the organisational level, institutional mandates and objectives, leadership and political climate will be reviewed. The paper will particularly build on experiences in Australian government funded research for development projects in Southeast Asia but intends to provide some general input to further discussions into the debate about good participatory practice to support sustainable rural development.

Energy research and social science, Jun 1, 2018

Energy poverty is an alarming problem affecting nearly half of the global population who rely on ... more Energy poverty is an alarming problem affecting nearly half of the global population who rely on solid fuels for cooking. Numerous interventions are in operation aiming to reduce the number of affected people, yet many have not achieved the desired level of change. This paper offers a novel perspective to conceptualise inertia towards entirely abandoning solid fuels. We explain that cooking with solid fuels is a traditional practice, and, using the Capability Approach, we argue that this practice, which is influenced by persistent social arrangements, could constrain people's capabilities to pursue a flourishing life. It is also argued, applying a practice lens, that the perpetuation of the practice is a product of human agency dominated by established knowledge and other social practices. We postulate that inertia that is holding people from giving up solid fuels is formed around people's perpetual tendency to take recursive actions and refrain from performing new acions, guided by firmly rooted social structure. The paper argues that replacing solid fuels cannot be achieved only by simply giving access to modern fuels and stoves. Instead, it is imperative to understand the social context within which the reproduction of social practices takes place in order to break the structural resistance and enable transformation.

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017

Billions of people around the world remain without access to modern energy services, the majority... more Billions of people around the world remain without access to modern energy services, the majority of whom live in rural locations. To support the deployment of these critical services, energy planners must consider complex interdisciplinary factors in the process of evaluating and deciding upon locally appropriate energy solutions. A key mechanism for navigating such complexity is to engage relevant local stakeholders in the process. In this study, we apply a systematic review to analyse process-oriented energy planning literature published over the last 35 years to explore the extent that past and present practices reflect current paradigms on energy access and development. The results indicate that the typical approach to evaluate appropriate energy solutions is siloed, disciplined in focus and non participatory. This paper highlights the need for a greater dialogue on participatory practice in the energy agenda to bring closer alignment with contemporary development thinking, and introduces an analytical framework as a way to reflect on this.

Smallholder cattle production is one of the most important enterprises for the majority of people... more Smallholder cattle production is one of the most important enterprises for the majority of people in West Nusa Tenggara as a source of income. This paper reports on how gender played a role in innovation uptake in cattle farming across three ethnic groups (Sasaknese, Sumbawanese and Balinese) and recommendations for a communication strategy design that supports effective innovation uptake. The 2015 socio-cultural study applied a case study methodology involving 19 communities. The research found that gender roles in cattle farming varied across ethnic groups. While cattle farming was generally dominated by men, women’s involvement was more significant for the Sasaknese and Balinese with more intensive cattle farming systems. Across all three ethnicities, women had a prominent role in decision making where financial matters and budget allocations were involved. Women’s involvement in meetings was poor due to cultural barriers and improper timings. Given women are important to product...

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

Social change is a loaded term. It is not limited to behavioural change or a change in attitudes ... more Social change is a loaded term. It is not limited to behavioural change or a change in attitudes or awareness but fundamentally indicates a change that stems from the adoption of new practices, new ways of doing things by a community or individual, change that is a consequence of new ideas, new processes, new structures and a new ethic of practice, change that results in qualitatively different practices aided by structures that enable such practices. In the context of the major struggles over identity in the 21st century over race, gender and sexuality, social change has been conditioned by this willingness of society to embrace new practices and invest in new enabling structures supportive of such practices. Social change in the context of a contentious politics often takes time and involves a long period of gestation — as is the case with legalising the gay and lesbian movements that remains an unfinished struggle in many parts of our world. Issues related to sexuality often undergirded by religious strictures, moral reasoning and cultural traditions are often impervious to the seeming obviousness of sexual rights — as is the case with the non-acceptance of gays and lesbians in church and society in contemporary Africa irrespective of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s support for such freedoms in South Africa.

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014

List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1. Revisiting CSC Theory 2. Revisiting CSC Practice 3. Par... more List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1. Revisiting CSC Theory 2. Revisiting CSC Practice 3. Participation in Theory and Practice 4. Communication, Power and Social Change 5. Agencies, Structures and Social Change 6. The IT Fix 7. The Making and Unmaking of CSC Policy 8. Complexity, Transdisciplinarity and CSC Strategy 9. Communication Rights and Social Change

Knowledge Management for Development Journal, Dec 1, 2014

Agricultural research in Vietnam is typically disciplinary in nature and determined by research a... more Agricultural research in Vietnam is typically disciplinary in nature and determined by research agendas set by national priorities. This approach was not able to address complex issues of farming on steep slopes practiced in the mountainous northwest Vietnam, a region characterised by an ethnically diverse population with a large proportion living below the poverty line. To address this serious natural resource management issue within the complex socioeconomic context, The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) adopted a transdisciplinary and development oriented approach in a project conducted from 2009-2013. A transdisciplinary team involving a range of Vietnamese and Australian organisations conducted participatory research aimed at understanding all aspects of the existing farming systems and subsequently attesting sustainable soil management practices and finding suitable crops to diversify production. This paper describes the use of a participatory monitoring and evaluation system as the key method providing researchers with the opportunity to experience how farmers make decisions and manage the system as a whole rather than in fragments. This system also served as a mechanism to operationalise the transdisciplinary nature of the project allowing researchers and farmers to better value their own and each other’s expertise in their quest to develop sustainable farming systems.

Extension farming systems journal, 2010

... This means that targeting for impact requires scaling-up. Particularly sustainable agricultur... more ... This means that targeting for impact requires scaling-up. Particularly sustainable agricultural approaches such as IPM, where a more natural balance of the larger agroecosystems needs to be established for optimal effectuation of technology components, collective action of ...

Asian journal of agriculture and development, Dec 15, 2011

The yield gap in rice production can be narrowed by improving farmers' access to information. In ... more The yield gap in rice production can be narrowed by improving farmers' access to information. In recent years, the Philippines has witnessed a profusion of information and communication technology (ICT) interventions expected to increase Filipino famers' access to rice farming information, led by the PhilRice Farmers' Text Center. Despite these initiatives, the digital divide further excludes the marginalized. Drawing from literature on ICT for development (ICT4D) and recent trends in Philippine ICT, this paper proposes policy directions that can be pursued by the agriculture sector for more relevant ICT interventions (i.e., making technology generation participatory, marrying of disciplines, exploring technological hybrids, focusing on critical evaluation of ICTs, and tapping farmers' children as infomediaries). It is essential to engage farmers in various stages (i.e., from design to evaluation) of ICT initiatives to maximize the impact of ICTs on their lives and to avoid the misdirection of ICT interventions.

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, May 1, 2011

Building sustainable rural futures: the added value of systems approaches in times of change and uncertainty. 9th European IFSA Symposium, Vienna, Austria, 4-7 July 2010., 2010

In order to institutionalise participatory approaches in the mainstream agricultural research and... more In order to institutionalise participatory approaches in the mainstream agricultural research and development system and enhance impact in farmers' fields, the Indonesian Centre for Agricultural Technology Assessment and Development (ICATAD) established a so-called "Innovation Team". It consists of a group of researchers and extension specialist who experiment with approaches that make farmers rather than technologies the centre of change. Rather than imposing externally developed approaches in an isolated project context, ICATAD apply the "Do-It-Yourself formula" in which the local researchers design their own models based on agreed principles, and incorporate them in their existing structures. The Innovation Team critically evaluated prevailing technology assessment and dissemination approaches, formulated a farmer-centred "Research for Development" model, and tested innovative adaptive research and knowledge exchange approaches in four provinces in Eastern Indonesia. Participatory communication principles are at the core of all planning, implementation and evaluation processes to allow for a dialogue between farmers, researchers and service providers. From being the "know-it-alls", researchers and service providers are learning to identify needs and opportunities from a farmer perspective and becoming facilitators of a change process in which farmers are considered the experts on their own farms. Old habits that are deeply embedded in the agricultural research system cannot be eliminated through short term projects or brief training on participatory approaches. It requires attitude change of both policy makers, researchers and development practitioners, trial and error through real life experiences, and internalisation of tailor-made models into existing structures, which eventually may change those structures.

Integrated Sweetpotato Management through farmer field schools was incorporated into the already ... more Integrated Sweetpotato Management through farmer field schools was incorporated into the already established IPPM FFS (Integrated Pest and Production Management Farmer Field Schools) programme in East Africa. It was aimed at promoting sustainable sweetpotato production and post harvest management. After four months field implementation of this technology-based and farmer education project, partnership was forged with the VITAA (Vitamin A Africa) initiative to disseminate and promote commercial production of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties. Since then a cumulative total of 1622 bags of vines each containing 1800-2400 cuttings ready for planting worth Uganda Shs 9,732,000 (US$ 4866) have been distributed to farmers through farmer-oriented organizations within Soroti district. More than 600 bags of OFSP vines have been distributed to farmers through FFS and VITAA promoting partner organizations. Whereas the other partners reported complete crop failure due to the adverse weather conditions during the first crop cycle, 2 FFS managed to produce orange-fleshed roots for processing and delivered about 1 metric ton of chips to Maganjo processing factory in Kampala. Of an estimated total of 72 acres of OFSP planted during the second cycle, 20% of the planting material was supplied by the FFS vine bank plots. Two sub-counties have priotised sweetpotato as a commercial crop through the NAADS programme. CIP provided two chipper machines to FFS and other sweetpotato producer groups in a bid to transform sweetpotato into an industrial crop and is spearheading the search for linkages to find alternative markets for chips. Although the pilot venture into commercialization through processing did not appear to be profitable, the idea of selling OFSP to boarding schools and other institutions seems to be a more promising alternative market.

Journal of Plant Protection, 1990

Based on experiences of integrated pest management (IPM) development and imple- mentation efforts... more Based on experiences of integrated pest management (IPM) development and imple- mentation efforts in Asia, this chapter elaborates on implications of the choice for an appropriate form of learning platform for separate steps in a research and develop- ment cycle, in order to contribute to sustainable agricultural development. The achievement of high quality impact in farmers' fields on a substantial

Australasian Agribusiness Review, Mar 1, 2015

Since the late 1990s, there has been a great deal of investment by both the Vietnamese government... more Since the late 1990s, there has been a great deal of investment by both the Vietnamese government and international development agencies in the economic development of the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, a highly diverse region experiencing variable stages of transition towards more market-oriented development and social change. A shift towards a research for development approach, targeting the immediate use of research outputs for development purposes, became more visible especially since the late 2000s. It is important to understand the contribution of agricultural research toward rural development, not only in terms of knowing the extent and sustainability of the impacts achieved but also for informing appropriate agricultural policies and research for development strategies in the future. However, the impact assessment of existing agricultural research for development (AR4D) initiatives in the highlands of Vietnam remains problematic considering both the formulation of suitable objectives and the selection of appropriate methods that match those objectives. This paper describes the results of a study that aimed to review and analyse the theories and practice of AR4D impact assessment approaches and the merits and limitations of such approaches to AR4D in the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam. The study employed documentary research, focus group discussions with farmers and in-depth interviews with key informants, while thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The study concludes that a holistic approach towards impact assessment is best suited to an economically and culturally diverse region such as the Northwest Highlands of Vietnam, and suggests a framework for impact assessment that is based on a comprehensive livelihoods perspective.

Extension farming systems journal, 2010

Participatory approaches have undergone several waves of interest within the agricultural researc... more Participatory approaches have undergone several waves of interest within the agricultural research and development community since the 1970s. There has been a trend from technology-oriented towards farmer-oriented outcomes to better support the requirements of sustainable change. The practice of participatory research and extension under a variety of models, all underpinned by the principles of participatory communication, has been accompanied by debates on what is 'genuine participation' and how different 'types' of participation suit different development objectives. Addressing stakeholder participation has slowly become the norm in project proposal development for most major funding organisations as it is perceived to increase impact. However, very little is required in terms of demonstrating, firstly, that project partners have a common understanding and are in agreement of what type of participation suits the proposed design and context of the research and development process and secondly, that the capacity and political will exist among the partner organisations to allow for and facilitate participation. It is not uncommon that participation is reduced to superficial consultation or even lip service, whilst decision making power remains in the hands of specific stakeholder groups, often those who already had their own agenda for the change process to take place. This paper will discuss the factors and conditions that enable and impede effective collaborative partnerships of stakeholder groups in the context of rural development, particularly in cross-national initiatives. Factors at the level of the individual include mentality, communication skills and facilitation capacity. At the organisational level, institutional mandates and objectives, leadership and political climate will be reviewed. The paper will particularly build on experiences in Australian government funded research for development projects in Southeast Asia but intends to provide some general input to further discussions into the debate about good participatory practice to support sustainable rural development.

Energy research and social science, Jun 1, 2018

Energy poverty is an alarming problem affecting nearly half of the global population who rely on ... more Energy poverty is an alarming problem affecting nearly half of the global population who rely on solid fuels for cooking. Numerous interventions are in operation aiming to reduce the number of affected people, yet many have not achieved the desired level of change. This paper offers a novel perspective to conceptualise inertia towards entirely abandoning solid fuels. We explain that cooking with solid fuels is a traditional practice, and, using the Capability Approach, we argue that this practice, which is influenced by persistent social arrangements, could constrain people's capabilities to pursue a flourishing life. It is also argued, applying a practice lens, that the perpetuation of the practice is a product of human agency dominated by established knowledge and other social practices. We postulate that inertia that is holding people from giving up solid fuels is formed around people's perpetual tendency to take recursive actions and refrain from performing new acions, guided by firmly rooted social structure. The paper argues that replacing solid fuels cannot be achieved only by simply giving access to modern fuels and stoves. Instead, it is imperative to understand the social context within which the reproduction of social practices takes place in order to break the structural resistance and enable transformation.

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017

Billions of people around the world remain without access to modern energy services, the majority... more Billions of people around the world remain without access to modern energy services, the majority of whom live in rural locations. To support the deployment of these critical services, energy planners must consider complex interdisciplinary factors in the process of evaluating and deciding upon locally appropriate energy solutions. A key mechanism for navigating such complexity is to engage relevant local stakeholders in the process. In this study, we apply a systematic review to analyse process-oriented energy planning literature published over the last 35 years to explore the extent that past and present practices reflect current paradigms on energy access and development. The results indicate that the typical approach to evaluate appropriate energy solutions is siloed, disciplined in focus and non participatory. This paper highlights the need for a greater dialogue on participatory practice in the energy agenda to bring closer alignment with contemporary development thinking, and introduces an analytical framework as a way to reflect on this.