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Writer's pictureRicardo Vargas Carpintero

A Collaborative, Systems Approach for the Development of Biomass-Based Value Webs: The Case of the

New review article published in Land


Authors: Ricardo Vargas‑Carpintero, Thomas Hilger, Karen Tiede, Carolin Callenius, Johannes Mössinger, Roney Fraga Souza, Juan Carlos Barroso Armas, Frank Rasche & Iris Lewandowski

 

Abstract

The diversification of biomass resources is key to the transition towards a bioeconomy. Acrocomia spp., a neotropical genus of palms, is an example of plants’ diversity potential for a sustainable bioeconomy. Acrocomia’s adaptability to environments outside rainforests, its specific fruit properties and high yields has generated the interest of researchers and entrepreneurs, triggering its introduction as a multipurpose oil crop. Developing sustainability-oriented and knowledge-based acrocomia value webs requires a collaborative, systems approach from the outset. Fostering an inter- and transdisciplinary dialogue on acrocomia through a participatory workshop with both academic and non-academic actors contributed to this endeavor. This allowed the identification of priorities, knowledge gaps, and stakeholder roles, and served as the basis for the co-creation of a research and development roadmap. Key steps for the introduction of acrocomia include intertwined technical aspects relating to the development of planting material, cultivation systems, processing technologies and applications, market entry, and value web governance aspects. A broad collaboration among scientists, the public and private sectors, farmers, and civil society, is required for the development of acrocomia value webs. The incorporation of sustainability and a consideration of context in the design and development phases are fundamental to fostering the sustainable performance of acrocomia value webs.

Priorities for the development of acrocomia value webs; results from four actor groups of the multi-actor workshop. The green, yellow, blue and orange squares represent the actor groups, i.e., research organizations, industry and business associations, civil society and farmers, and government, respectively, while the concentric circles represent value web areas.

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