Sustaining our agricultural landscapes is no longer just a technical, scientific or even political problem, but it has evolved into a socially complex, so-called wicked problem of conflicting social governance and economics. This creates an extreme economic obstacle where the value of ecosystem services remains low and diffuse and the transactions costs remain high and multiple.Using Uber-like business platform technology and a shared governance model, a symbiotic demand for environmental benefits is created. Enabling multi-sector transactions for environmental benefits, this platform innovation would remedy the "tragedy of the commons"; the economic nemesis to achieving landscape sustainability. In a nutshell, to sustain our agricultural landscapes a transdisciplinary approach supported by a shared governance model housed within a multi-sided platform in needed. This book introduces an assessment framework identifying governance actors, styles and ratios for socio-ecological systems. The assessment uses a new governance compass to identify the types of actors completing which tasks and identifies the styles of governance used to complete the tasks. It is aimed to anyone involved in sustainability science, agricultural policy planning, or integrated landscape design.

About the Author

Timothy M. Gieseke's interdisciplinary career is reflected in the research and insights of his writings. A master's degree in environmental sciences is a cornerstone for his perspective on agriculture sustainability. He also brings experience in agriculture production, governmental experience in conservation planning, policy analysis at state and federal levels, political endeavors, and agribusiness management. With this near panoramic view of landscape sustainability, Tim recognized the need for a transdisciplinary approach to enable practitioners and policy- makers to transcend and blur the lines between their traditional organizational boundaries. He has carried this vision through several of his local to global efforts.

Reviews

"I like the clear communication style as Timothy Gieseke takes readers on a journey. He systematically builds his arguments and clarifies the issues in a field that has evolved to be very complex and confusing."
-Leon Cavalli, Hannabell Electronics, Queensland, Australia

"Timothy M. Gieseke brings fresh new insights and understanding to the problem of how to create sustainable forms of agriculture. A compulsory read for anyone involved in sustainability science, agricultural policy planning, or integrated landscape design."
-Valerie Payn, Integrated Landscape Designer, Port Shepstone Area, South Africa

"This is a superbly researched and written text."
-Joseph M. Bradley, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

"This book is a timely contribution to sustainability in agricultural and rural landscapes."
-Alan Carter, Celto Canadian, Vancouver, Canada

"The strength of the book lies in the application of the model of sustainability governance to eleven case studies, which greatly enriches understanding of processes necessary for the environmental market signal to have meaning."
- Cornelia Butler Flora, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA

"Tim Gieseke has authored an important big picture contribution to the scientific literature on today's seemingly intractable, environmental problems associated with agricultural production. The book provides an excellent overview of the nature of landscape-scale ecological problems, often referred to in government regulatory terms as non-point source problems."
- Andrew Manale, US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Policy (retired), Washington, D.C., USA

"Timothy Gieseke's book Shared Governance for Sustainable Working Landscapes is a tour de force on how to effectively manage the 'wicked problems' of unsustainable agricultural systems. This book, which is a novel addition to the growing library of books on sustainability, would be highly useful to policy makers on agricultural systems as well as conservation planners and managers. Also, the book is great for practitioners who are interested in recognizing and managing wicked problems in domains other than agriculture."
- Rod King, Consultant on conversational project management, Clovis, California, USA

"Tim Gieseke's book takes us exactly in the direction we need to go - exploring new business models for investing in and sustaining the wide range of goods and services provided by landscapes. Overall, this book is an ambitious effort to develop actionable ways forward for sustaining the lands and waters on which we all rely."
- Brad Gentry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

"In simple language, following in the footsteps of Ostrom and Meadows, Gieseke explains "easy-to-use" systems-level frameworks so you too can analyze, assess, and determine sustainable landscape strategies. Whether you work as a financial analyst, urban planner, corporate strategist, or in agriculture production, Shared Governance for Sustainable Working Landscapes adds one more excellent set of tools to add to your sustainability tool chest."
- Gabriel Thoumi, CFA, Climate Advisers, Washington, DC, USA

"The author sets out to test whether a multisided shared governance platform, supporting an eco-commerce ecosystem, could deliver a solution that all reasonable stakeholder groups might embrace. Starting at the landscape - as the "point of service" - is interesting; whether governance systems can be designed with sophistication to deliver the desired, share outcome, readers will need to establish for themselves. Even more intriguing is the possibility that valued landscape components might be delivered through the creation of e-commerce ecosystem service values."
- Richard Wakeford, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom

"Farmers and all the players in the Ag game have, different visions, different solutions, different problems, different motives, different interests. Mr. Gieseke writes of the wicked problems that come from conflicting interests and provides solutions with his talk of Platforms and E-Commerce Ecosystems, Shared Governance and Environmental Market Signals. Mr. Gieseke spent long nights studying and developing his ideas on Sustainability. Through it all, Tim never forgets his roots as a fourth generation farmer, providing solutions so that fifth generation can smell the smells of a barn in the morning and walk in the footsteps of their forefathers."
- Merle Hanson, Author of Portraits, Winona, Minnesota, USA

"Through the nodes of ecology, economy, natural capitals, governance, and stakeholder values, this volume converges towards the definition of glocal business ecosystem, a concept transcending sector boundaries. More than a set of ingenious suggestions and opportunities to change resource management, this book is a source of inspiration to tackle current challenges with a holistic vision. It is a manual with guidelines to innovate and renew our way of building society, with approaches suggested by nature itself, and a license to rethink our world imaginatively."
- Fanny Barsics, Formerly of the University of Liege, Belgium

"On many levels, rich and thought-provoking writing. Indigenous innovation and science partnerships engage millennia old landscapes, and its critical, egalitarian customary governance and management practices. Tim's writing raises a unique question for sustainability science: 'What can we learn in terms of policy, planning and management?' from the dynamic function of customary governance and its transdisciplinary approaches to sustaining complex natural capital."
- John Locke, BioCultural Consulting Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia

Book Information
ISBN 9781138495524
Author Timothy M. Gieseke
Format Paperback
Page Count 284
Imprint CRC Press
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g