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Decisions Support Systems Inaugural Workshop

Gainesville, USA

10th - 11th January 2005

 

 

Workshop Objectives

  1. ascertain the nature of environmental and socioeconomic information needed to support improved policy formulation for food security, and especially that needed by technical advisors to policymakers (key end-users of GECAFS research);
  2. identify how DSS can be used to help develop and interpret scenarios of changed environmental and socioeconomic conditions at various spatial and temporal scales; and
  3. determine the types of information needed for developing DSS (e.g. the specific needs of the end-users; key biophysical and socioeconomic variables for DSS inputs and outputs; the nature of adaptation options; the costs/benefits of pursuing various options; the forms of output for optimal communication).

 

Acknowledgements

The workshop organisers gratefully acknowledge financial assistance from USDA-ARS.

 

Participants

 

Programme

 

(Detailed timings and breaks have been deleted for this web report version)

 

Monday 10 January 2005

Introductions – Arvin Mosier / Jim Jones

Welcome – Wayne Smith, Dean for Research, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida

 

Session 1: Introduction to GECAFS

GECAFS, the DSS component and how it links to other aspects of the GECAFS project – Peter Gregory / John Ingram

 

Session 2: Information needs for decision makers in food policy

Global change information needs for decision makers dealing with food security – Walther Baethgen, IRI

Policy-related information needs for decision makers dealing with food security in the context of environmental change – Graham Farmer, FAO South Africa

Public sector policy formulation in food and agriculture – Bill Hohenstein, USDA

 

Session 3: The role of scientific information in policy formulation in the food industry

International Fertilizer Industry viewpoint – Upendra Singh, IFDC

Fisheries Industry viewpoint – Dagoberto Arcos, Fishery Research Institute, Chile

Working Groups: The nature of environmental and socioeconomic information needed to support improved policy formulation for food security

 

Tuesday 11 January 2005

DSS development – Jean Steiner, USDA

DSS development – Steve Sonka, University of Illinois

Key aspects of GEC and socioeconomic scenarios – Thomas Henrichs, EEA, Copenhagen

Summary Report of workshop - Arvin Mosier

 

 

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