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DEGREE PROJECT IN STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,

SECOND CYCLE, 30.0 CREDITS STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 2020

Sustainable development in

Änggärdet

A Backcasting Approach for

what a Sustainable

Community Farm Might

Comprise in the Future

JORDI BALBIN VILA

Supervisor

REBECKA MILESTAD

Examiner

MATTIAS HÖJER

KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

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Cycle and credits of the degree project: Degree project, second cycle

(30 credits)

Degree: Degree of Master (120 credits)

Main field or subject of your degree: Environment Engineering

School: School of Architecture and the Built Environment

ISSN:

TRITA: TRITA-ABE-MBT-20739

ISRN:

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Sammanfattning

Det kan argumenteras för att det växande hotet om klimatförändringar, och om en kultur av kapitalism och konsumtion som etablerats i dagens samhälle, driver nätverk av människor till att bilda sammanslutningar och till att inte följa modula produktions- och konsumtionssystem. I denna rapport är Änggärdet - en gårdsgemenskap, en representation av ett alternativ till en social rörelse. Denna masteruppsats syftar till att skapa önskvärda och hållbara framtidsscenarier för Änggärdet till år 2030.

Änggärdets huvudsyfte är att gemensamt utveckla en hållbar livsstil och att bidra till övergången till ett hållbart och motståndskraftigt samhälle. Änggärdet vill även skapa en livsstil som har ett mindre beroende av konsumtion och ett större beroende av ett mer kreativt och enhälligt samhälle. I linje med gårdens vision syftar denna studie till att bygga en vision och potentiella framtida lösningar och koncept för Änggärdets hållbara utveckling. För detta ändamål tillämpas två kombinerade backcasting-modeller; ett metodologisk ramverk för backcasting och en modulär deltagande backcasting. För att utföra detta har forskning genomförts i form av litteraturöversikt och empirisk datainsamling baserade på workshop- och undersökningsinstrument. En vision formulerades, utan krav på ambitiösa mål, vilket bidrog till en hög grad av rimlighet.

Resultaten demonstrerar att, för att en framtida lösning ska utvecklas, finns ett större behov av att involvera intressenter, att vidare utvärdera interna begränsningar och att ta hänsyn till två

accelererande drivkrafter. Vidare kan sex kortsiktiga mål användas som en del av den initierade utvecklingen. Slutligen råder en medvetenhet och en förståelse för nuvarande och långsiktiga utmaningar bland Änggärdets medlemmar.

Föreliggande studie ger Änggärdet möjligheten att utbilda och utveckla färdigheter, gällande hållbar produktion och konsumtion, och uppmuntrar även till samarbete mellan Flen kommun och

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Abstract

It can be argued that the growing threat of climate change, of a culture of capitalism and consumption established in today’s society, drives networks of people to form unions and not to follow standard production and consumption systems, of which Änggärdet is a representation.

This thesis project aims to create a desirable and sustainable future scenario for Änggärdet in 2030 based on a backcasting methodology. Additionally, this project aims to build a vision and potential future solutions and concepts for Änggärdet sustainable development. To do so, research has been done in the form of a literature review and empirical data collection through surveys and workshop tools. A vision was formulated while not setting ambitious goals and therefore having a high degree of plausibility.

Findings show that developing a future solution requires a greater need to involve stakeholders, further evaluate internal limitations, and account for two accelerating forces. Furthermore, six-short term goals can be set as part of the development initiation. Finally, an awareness and an

understanding of present and long-term challenges exist amongst members of Änggärdet. The study enables Änggärdet to train and develop skills in terms of sustainable production and

consumption and encourages collaboration between Flen Municipality and Änggärdet to influence and raise awareness amongst the surrounding residents and companies.

Keywords

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Acknowledgments

This thesis project has been conducted thanks to Rebecka Milestad. She is an active member of the Änggärdet community farm. Besides, she is an agronomist, a doctor in rural development, and a docent in environmental strategies research at KTH.

I am thankful to her for her patience and guidance. I would also like to thank all the Änggärdet community farm members for their participation in this study.

On a personal level, I want to thank my partner Emelie, my family, and all my colleagues at KTH for their support.

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Table of Content

1. Introduction ... 1.1 Project Background ... 1

1.2 Änggärdet - a Community Farm ...2

1.3 Purpose and Research Questions... 4

2. Theory- theoretical concepts and tools ... 2.1 What is Sustainable Development? ... 5

2.1.1 Sustainable Production and Consumption ... 6

2.2 What is Sustainable Community Farm? ... 6

2.3 The Backcasting Methodology ... 7

2.4 Interdisciplinary Research in Sustainability ... 9

3. Methodology... 3.1 Organization of the Work ... 10

3.2 Data collection ... 11

3.2.1 Workshop ... 11

3.2.2 Survey ... 12

3.2.3 Interview ... 12

3.3 Methodologies used for the backcasting process ... 13

3.4 Scope and Delimitation ... 16

4. Results ... 4.1 Backcasting Step 1: Strategic Problem Orientation ... 17

4.1.1 Problem Orientation ... 17

4.1.2 System Boundaries ... 18

4.1.3 Current Situation ... 18

4.1.4 Stakeholder Analysis ... 20

4.1.5 Needs and Functions ... 21

4.1.6 Criteria ... 23

4.2 Backcasting Step 2: Construction of Sustainable Future Vision ...25

4.3 Backcasting Step 3: Backcasting: Backward-Looking Analyses ... 26

4.3.1 Drivers ... 26

4.3.2 Solutions ... 33

4.3.3 Solution Testing ... 37

4.4 Backcasting Step 4: Elaboration and Defining Follow-up and an Action Agenda ... 40

4.4.1 Pathway ... 40

4.3.2 Action Plan ... 43

4.5 Backcasting Step 5: Embedding of results and generating follow-up ... 44

4.5.1 Follow-ups ... 44

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5.1 Determination of the Scope ... 45

5.2 The Backcasting Methodology ... 45

5.3 Validity of the Results ... 46

5.3.1 Sustainable production and consumption ... 47

5.3.2 The Vision ... 48

5.3.3 The proposal of a Final Solution ... 48

6. Conclusions ... 7. Recommendations for Future Studies ... References ... Appendix A ... Appendix A.1 The Roadmap for the Thesis Project ... 61

Appendix B ... Appendix B.1 Problem Orientation Survey Outline... 62

Appendix C... Appendix C.1 Workshop at Änggärdet Outline ... 64

Appendix D ... Appendix D.1 Additional criteria methodology and the criterion objective list ... 65

Criterion objective list ... 65

Appendix D.2 Additional Drivers methodology and the driving forces ... 69

Appendix D.3 Drivers, driving forces, and their uncertainty level for the system ... 77

Appendix D.4 Additional Solution Testing Methodology and a complete Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Solution Testing. ... 81

Appendix D.5 Pathway needed cultural, structural, and technological changes including stakeholders until 2030 ... 85

Appendix D.6 The criteria for the system's needs. ... 88

Appendix D.7 Detailed description of the activities happening at Änggärdet concerning production and consumption ... 93

Appendix D.8 Action steps for the short-term goals ... 95 Appendix D.9 Description of follow-up activities and actions to monitor the action step outcomes 99

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List of figures

Figure 1.1 Skebokvarn location on a map. 3

Figure 1.2 Änggärdet part of the garden with the open landscape. 4 Figure 3.1 Backcasting steps and sub-steps overview 13

Figure 4.1 Key driving forces and its sub-categories 27

Figure 4.2. Uncertainty level categories for the driving forces. 29

Figure 4.3. Driving forces for the sensitivity analysis represented in an impact-uncertainty grid 30 Figure 4.4. The two polar dimensions for the future plane grid 31

Figure 4.5. Futures plane grid 32

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List of tables

Table 3.1. Overview of a combined backcasting structure 10 Table 4.1. Sustainable production concepts and descriptions 19 Table 4.2. Sustainable consumption concepts and descriptions 19

Table 4.3. Documented and non-documented organized working weekends at Änggärdet 22 Table 4.4. Criteria, sub-criteria, indicators to the system needs 23

Table 4.5 The key driving forces to the system 28

Table 4.6 Driving forces categorized by their uncertainty level 29

Table 4.7 Dimensions and states of dimensions within the morphological analysis 33 Table 4.8 Suitable solutions 35

Table 4.9 Score table of solution testing against criteria 37

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Abbreviations

EU - European Union Ha. - Hectares

KTH - Royal Institute of Technology

mPB - Modular participatory Backcasting

LCSP - Lowell Center for Sustainable Production

MCDA- Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

PB - Participatory backcasting

SC - Sustainable Consumption

SP - Sustainable Production

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1. Introduction

This introductory chapter gives the first background to the project (s section 1.1), secondly introduces the case study, Änggärdet community farm (s. section 1.2), and finally explains the project purpose and research questions (s. section 1.3).

1.1 Project Background

Tomorrow’s society will be facing multiple complex global challenges in terms of production and consumption practices. Natural ecosystems have gradually been transformed into

cultural landscapes and big settlements as cities to satisfy needs and demands, and that has a major cause, the exhaustion of natural resources. How will the future generations have all the needed base resources if we deplete them?

The Sustainable Development Goals is a model developed by the United Nations members that aim to address global challenges and accomplish a sustainable future by 2030, including to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (Sustainable Development Goals, 2015). Among the members listed, there is Sweden.

There, some of the challenges in terms of production and consumption practices include over-use, over-extraction, and the introduction of pollution into the environment. These factors are directly related to society's extensive living standards and demands. As Hult and Larsson (2016) mentioned, the footprint average of a Swedish citizen is 5.7 global hectares, far from the sustainable global average level of 1.8 hectares. Furthermore, a study elaborated by the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Martin et al.,2016) demonstrates that over the last 50 years, food consumption per capita has increased (in particular meat and vegetable

consumption) together with the daily calorie intake. Studies show that for consumption, much forest area used for agriculture is not only needed to produce the food that is consumed in the country but also that is exported internationally. It is estimated that between 20 to 30% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions originate from food production (Martin et al.,2016). Other agricultural aspects include either its specialized and intensive practices or abandoned areas, both endangering habitats, and its species. Such model practices are recognized by Lewan (2000) and The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2019b) for not accounting for major needs such as to store carbon dioxide and to reduce their concentrations in the atmosphere, to reduce global emissions (in particular greenhouse gases), to protect biodiversity or groundwater, to farm efficiently and to conserve and develop farming landscapes in a sustainable manner.

Furthermore, environmental, climate, and population problems occurring around the world can lead to even more significant national challenges, as it also affects the country due to the interconnectedness of the systems on a global scale and the country's high dependence on international trade (Lewan, 2000). A study elaborated by Martin et al. (2016) shows that social changes on dietary choices can be used to tackle unsustainable needs and to lower environmental impacts. For example, an increase in the Swedish food production and consumption, a reduction of meat consumption, the adoption of vegan and vegetarian diets, or following diets based on nutritional guidelines (Martin et al.,2016).

To this date, the national government and several governmental agencies have set national goals and milestone targets to protect the environment and the country's welfare state by reducing the climate impact, waste and adopting sustainable development in urban areas.

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Some of the objectives include; zero net greenhouse gases emissions by 2050, to cut nutrient inputs and reduce its levels both in water and soil around the Baltic by 2021 (Swedish

Environmental Protection Agency, 2019b), to reduce air emissions with origin from the transportation industry (excluding domestic aviation) by at least 70 percent by 2030 in comparison with 2010 (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2019a), to improve resource management and energy recovery throughout food chains in the food industry by adopting treatment processes and recovering plant nutrients (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2019a) and finally to increase at least 25 percent of the proportion of pedestrian, bicycle and public transport users in urban areas (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2019a).

Meanwhile, the efforts and action plans set on a local level for the last years can also be acknowledged. From 2015 to 2018, Flen Municipality set a series of environmental goals: to limit climate impact and non-toxic environment, to aim for zero eutrophication, the well-living of lakes and streams, a good groundwater quality, a good built environment, biodiversity, and finally organic foods (Flen kommun, 2014a).

Furthermore, several targets were set in alignment with the goals: increasing the organic food's amount in the municipal businesses to 30% by 2016. All goals and targets were set in alignment with significant national targets and were addressed to several public and private actors. Worth to mention is the concept of sustainable development included in the overview plan, containing a description of key terms and conditions (Flen kommun, 2014a).

Looking at the future, Flen Municipality has developed a Sustainability Program 2030. In the program, a series of objectives and targets together with its necessary conditions, upcoming challenges, and some examples are introduced and described (Flen kommun, 2020b). In summary, a target image for its future sustainable work is being set in Flen Municipality.

As can be observed in the previous paragraphs, there is a need for action towards more sustainable development at all levels, and community farming supports and benefits the cause. As indicated by Nwanze et al. (2016), smallholding farms can provide critical support for today’s society to achieve many of the SDGs related to climate, food security and create effective food value chains, boost their productivity and provide social aid. For that to occur, it is key to identify any problems related to farming practices to aid towards a transition to environmental, economic, and social sustainable perspectives (Ștefănescu-Mihăilă, 2016). As smallholdings can be comprised of a community of individuals and families (Lowimpact.org, 2001), it can be argued that the Änggärdet community farm can be considered an example of a smallholding.

1.2 Änggärdet - a Community Farm

Änggärdet is a community farm. It is located in the northwest of Skebokvarn, about 8 km from the town of Flen, in Flen Municipality, Sweden.

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Figure 1.1 Skebokvarn location on a map

Source: PDC-2013-Änggärdet_Karl_AnnaMaria_Ulrika.pdf

One of the properties in Skebokvarn is Änggärdet farm, including a residential building built at the end of the 1950s. More recently, particularly in 2009, a total of six individuals got together and agreed to invest in the property to gather more members. Later in 2011, the organization transitioned towards an economic association. On the 30th of August 2011, the property was bought, and since then, it is owned and run by the Änggärdet economic

association (Änggärdet, 2011a).

The existing conditions in the property area are as follows: a big yard including a residential building, a barn, an old barn used as a storage room, a workshop, another little storage building, and also a carriage house. A second residential and private building was built in 2011 (Änggärdet, 2011d). The total area of the property is about 22 ha, approximately consisting of 10 ha of arable land (either grazed, mowed, or not managed) and about half ha of it is cultivated land with small-scale cultivation based on ecological principles, 5 ha consist of a forest with timber storage of 320 kbm/ha, and finally, 7 ha consist of grazing land

(Änggärdet, 2020a). On the surroundings of the residential houses, the following natural properties can be found: land plots consisting of a wooded area of land, cropland, pasture lands, as well as water forming a wetland and vegetation forming stocked forest areas (Änggärdet, 2011a).

Currently, the farm's main purpose is to develop a sustainable lifestyle jointly and contribute to the transition to a sustainable and resilient society. Additionally, Änggärdet wants to create a quality of life which has a minor dependency on consumption and a higher dependency on a more creative and joint community (Änggärdet, 2020a).

Today, the association includes a total of 16 members. Also, the association counts with four individuals that, even though they are trial members or a neighbor, can all be addressed in this thesis as members. That is because the association hasapproved it. Therefore, 20 individuals are included in this study (Änggärdet, 2011c). About half of them have moved to

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the farm or its vicinity - as the town of Flen- but predominantly use the farm as a holiday home.

Each member is expected to participate in the community farm by purchasing

environmentally friendly goods and services and creating the conditions for a sustainable and resilient community farm and help to its development (Änggärdet, 2011b). The work is mostly done on working weekends and summer weeks. All members are part of one of the created working groups - construction and maintenance, cultivation, social affairs, and land and infrastructure. These groups help members organize and plan the activities happening on the site. Decisions on the site are made jointly- member meetings determine major decisions while working groups or the board decides for smaller decisions (Änggärdet, 2020a).

Figure 1.2 Änggärdet, part of the garden with the open landscape

Source: (Änggärdet, 2011d)

1.3 Purpose and Research Questions

This thesis intends to answer the research question: “How could a desirable and sustainable future scenario for Änggärdet in 2030 look like based on a backcasting methodology?”. Additionally, and based on the methodological approach, derivative two other research questions:

1. How could a vision for a sustainable community farm look like? 2. How could potential future solutions and concepts be displayed?

The purpose of this work is to create a desirable and sustainable future scenario for all Änggärdet members by implementing the backcasting approach. The process's obtained

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results represent a potential solution for Änggärdet’s future practical applications and sustainable development practices.

To fulfill the purpose, the following objectives are formulated and pursued:

1. To understand how the concepts of “sustainable consumption and production” can be displayed at Änggärdet by recognizing the issues of resource production and

consumption.

2. To set a vision for a sustainable community farm at Änggärdet.

3. To develop plausible solutions and concepts for future practical applications and practices at Änggärdet.

Additional secondary objectives of this work are to create awareness among members, create initiatives for follow-up activities, and serve as a source of inspiration to other community farms to contribute towards sustainable development.

2. Theory- theoretical concepts and tools

This chapter includes theoretical concepts and tools applied in this thesis project. Initially, a set of theoretical concepts that are integrated into this thesis are presented, including

sustainable development (s. section 2.1), sustainable production and consumption (s. section 2.1.1), and sustainable community farm (s. section 2.2). Furthermore, the backcasting

methodology (s. section 2.3) and interdisciplinary research in sustainability (s. section 2.4) are finally introduced in this chapter.

2.1 What is Sustainable Development?

As described in the report “Our Common Future” written by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) (Brundtland, 1987, p.41), sustainable development “is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’’ and links together three pillars; environmental, economic and social.

In recent times, and in conjunction with the three pillars for sustainable development, authors such as Waas (Waas et al. 2011), as mentioned in Caeiro et al. (2013), have added two additional pillars: institutional and cultural. The fact is, whether one acknowledges three or five pillars for sustainable development, the objective must be to look at sustainability (Caeiro et al., 2013).

Unfortunately, authors such as Caeiro et al. (2013) conclude that we are in a current

sustainability crisis, in which we have built and adopted unsustainable modes of production and consumption and used technology unsustainably. For example, for military purposes, created political, economic, and social gaps or exceeded our capital accumulation desires. Notably, it is recognized in the wealthier parts of the globe, and it needs to change. The dominant economic model has generated an unsustainable mode to produce and consume, and it requires significant changes in both production and consumption patterns (Quist, 2001). Two significant factors to account for and combine are technological innovation and changes in lifestyle and culture, in an attempt to reduce the environmental burden, global emissions, energy consumption, and resource-intensive modes of consumption (UNEP, 2011).

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2.1.1 Sustainable Production and Consumption

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), sustainable production and consumption are defined “as the creation (and use) of products to address human needs and bring a better quality of life while the use of natural resources, toxic substances, emissions and pollutants over the lifecycle of a product is minimized in such a way that needs of future generations are not jeopardized” as mentioned in (Birkie, 2018, p.248). Another definition is given by the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production (LCSP). It adds that "in sustainable production, the processes and systems that create the products and services should be economically efficient, resource-conserving, non-polluting, as well as safe and healthful for stakeholders” (Birkie, 2018, p.248). The latter implies a better consideration of the lifecycle concept and translates better sustainable development in production into action. As of the progress of the goal, a report of the Secretary-General of the Economic and Social Council of the UN (United Nations, 2019) states that urgent action is needed in resource efficiency, reduce waste, and sustainability practices across all economic branches.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the goal of sustainable production and consumption is for Sweden a significant challenge. For example, in terms of national greenhouse emission, levels are high due to a high

consumption rate by private individuals of food and transport and large amounts of imports. Another example is the hazardous waste per capita, being much higher in Sweden than the EU average (SCB, Statistiska centralbyrån, 2019).

Flen Municipality works on several objectives at a local level and acknowledges its larger consumption and waste management responsibility. For example, actions include the measurement of food waste in schools and preschools, the introduction of a bag to deposit food waste for households, the reuse of office furniture, and the reduction of unsorted construction and demolition amounts of waste (Flen kommun, 2020). One major challenge identified is to influence the residents and companies to practice sustainable consumption. To this moment, some procedures include to raise awareness and to offer to residents’ consumer and energy and climate counseling (Flen kommun, 2020).

2.2 What is a Sustainable Community Farm?

Academic literature identifies, among others, the growing threat of climate change and a culture of capitalism and consumption installed in today’s society as drivers for the creation of alternative forms of a social movement (Brombin et al., 2015; Nicolosi et al., 2018). Networks of people form unions that choose not to follow standard production and consumption systems, and instead, they adopt alternative ones based on micro informal economies (Brombin et al., 2015; Nicolosi et al., 2018). They are constituted by

environmental sustainability and social and ecological values in its core (Brombin et al., 2015; Nicolosi et al., 2018). A clear example is a community farm.

As described by The Land Conservancy of British Columbia (The Land Conservancy of British Columbia, 2009), community farms can be described as working landscapes that integrate local food producers into a supportive social environment that facilitates the long-term development of a sustainable food system. Other characteristics about community

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farms include food education, training, conservation, public access (The Land Conservancy of British Columbia, 2009), alternative energy production, technologies use with low environmental impact, a will of simple living, and reduction in consumption (Brombin, 2015). Besides, community farms are also said to bring agriculture into city residents by allowing them to raise poultry and enhance the property's surroundings' values (McCrea & Bradley, 2008) by promoting efficient and cautious use of natural resources (Brombin, 2015).

Another manner to define the alternative union formation identified in the literature review is given by the name of eco-villages (Magnusson, 2018). In 1991, the National Board of Housing, Building, and Planning in Sweden described it as a village that counts with a maximum of 50 households having access to a parcel land for farming. Besides, it contains a community house built with eco-friendly construction materials on a location based on best climate practices. Additionally, the households have the habit of recycling, consuming low amounts of energy, and using a local sewage system (Magnusson, 2018).

As Magnusson points out (Magnusson, 2018), in 2008, Sweden gained some momentum, and more than ten eco-villages were found around this time. Arguably, it was due to a global trend to raise climate awareness that affected Sweden in 2008-2009 and also due to an increase of internet use through social media (as forums and blogs) of content related to eco-villages. They all shared the same core ideas: sustainability, community, cooperative work, and innovative technical solutions. Even though many were modest in size, they were projected to be networked worldwide, as the resource-efficient living form was in trend (Magnusson, 2018).

2.3 The Backcasting Methodology

Backcasting can be defined as a visionary model of reasoning that seeks desirable futures. To do so, two approaches can be adopted, labeled as explorative (shows what could happen) or normative (how a solution to a problem might look) (Quist, 2001).

As pointed by Kanyama (Kanyama et al., 2008), backcasting learning emerged during the 1970s, and it was commonly used to address societal issues such as designing a renewable energy system. Succeeding studies and exercises started to incorporate other fields, such as sustainable transport and household practices.

Generally, the examples previously introduced and the overall participatory backcasting model studies follow a format developed by Quist et al. (2006) on page 870 that include three key elements:

“ (1) the construction and use of desirable normative scenarios and goals.

(2) broad stakeholder participation and stakeholder learning (on the level of paradigms and values); and

(3) combining process, participation, analysis, and design using a wide range of methods within the overall backcasting approach".

Concerning the element of participation, Blom-Zandstra and van Keulen (2008) argue that a participatory approach, in other words, to involve stakeholders in the backcasting process, has to be done from the start in the interest of identifying and developing feasible scenarios. In that regard, Quist (2001) remarks that the stakeholders need to originate from different societal groups. Moreover, Quist (2001) emphasizes that the involvement enhances creativity

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(to create new ideas and solutions) in the design process. The participation can be done using different formats, such as interviews or workshops (Blom-Zandstra & van Keulen, 2008) and (Quist & Vergragt, 2000). The latter includes elements such as brainstorming and clustering of ideas, with the purpose of the desired vision or scenarios to be accepted and plausible for all stakeholders involved (Kanyama et al., 2008).

Quist (2001) points out a workshop structure format developed by Van der Wel in 1998, which includes an introduction, a creativity session, and finally, a clustering session. A generic methodology framework has also been developed by Quist et al. (2006) on page 871. It includes both the steps to follow and the methods to use:

1. Strategic problem orientation

2. Construction of sustainable future visions or scenarios 3. Backcasting: backward-looking analyses

4. Elaboration and defining follow-up and an action agenda 5. Embedding of results and generating follow-up

In summary, the first step includes defining normative assumptions and setting the project goals. Besides, participatory tools and methods are used for the stakeholder's interaction and participation. Secondly, the development of desirable future visions or scenarios step

comprises the design tools and methods for the scenario construction and for designing systems or stakeholder's involvement practices. The third step refers to analytical tools and methods used for the different scenarios' assessments and evaluating social processes in the project. The fourth step references tools and methods that can be used for the overall process management and stakeholder coordination and communication (Quist et al.,2006). Finally, the last step is significant for the generation of follow-up strategies and practices.

Another participatory backcasting model called “Modular Participatory Backcasting”(mPB) was relevant to this study. It was developed by a team of researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), particularly from the Urban Analytics and Transitions (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). This method was based on a participatory backcasting (PB) while incorporating modularity, participatory, and transdisciplinary. In order to use the mPB method, 13-step modules were proposed (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019) and are briefly described:

1. “Problem orientation: It gives an idea about the problem related to sustainability practices in the system that needs to be addressed.

2. System boundaries: Boundaries of the current system in terms of different dimensions (such as spatial and temporal)

3. Current situation: It aims to analyze the current socio-technical system and identify the weaknesses and strengths of the system.

4. Stakeholder analysis: Each stakeholder is described based on, for example, power, interest, and role.

5. Needs and function: The current and future system needs, together with the future system functions, are defined.

6. Vision: A vision is formulated by considering a time frame.

7. Criteria: The identification of criteria helps to make the vision more specific. Thus, the criteria ideas are classified into sub-criteria for each, and a method to measure each criterion is elaborated.

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8. Drivers: This step can be divided into three segments. The first is about identifying and defining external forces as drivers. The second assesses the impact and uncertainty of the driving forces on a socio-technical system, also classifying them as trends or uncertainties. Finally, the last segment performs a sensitivity analysis on a future plane to develop four future external scenarios.

9. Solutions: Internal scenarios (also named solutions) are created by using morphological analysis.

10. Solution testing: Choosing a final solution (based on internal and external scenarios) and the criteria and degrees of robustness.

11. Pathway: Different changes as cultural, structural, and technological are defined based on the vision to reach the final solution.

12. Action plan: Short term goals should be aligned with a defined pathway. 13. Follow-ups: It aims to introduce follow-up activities and monitor results.”

Overall, the 13 modules allow first to get familiar with the problem orientation and later design the pathway, action plan, and follow-up measures of the final solution.

2.4 Interdisciplinary Research in Sustainability

As seen before, the idea of sustainability research and sustainable development is imperative to thinking of the interconnectedness of three dimensions; natural, economic, and social. Because of that, the principle of interdisciplinarity, which means to incorporate theories, concepts, methods, and data from a diverse group of academic disciplines (Porter et al. 2006; Rafols & Meyer 2010 as mentioned in Schoolman et al., 2011) is evenly critical to the research of sustainability and sustainable development. Moreover, the authors Steiner and Posch (Steiner & Posch, 2006) and Quist and Vergragt (Quist & Vergragt, 2000) point out that interdisciplinary knowledge is formulated with an origin differing from environmental systems ( as water, soil, or air), social systems (as industrial sectors, cities, regions,

production-consumption chains), socio-technical systems (as households), interests and modes of thought. As mentioned by The Swedish Board of Agriculture, an increase of

interdisciplinary research and a rise of investment to its practices increase circumstances for sustainable use (Jordbruksverket, 2015).

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3. Methodology

This chapter describes the methodology applied for this thesis.

Firstly, it is detailed the ‘Organization of the Work’ (s. section 3.1). Following, there are described the chosen approaches for 'Data Collection' (s. section 3.2), including 'workshop,' 'survey,' and 'interview' strategy-instruments.

Thirdly, there are explained the different methodologies used for the backcasting process (s. section 3.3). Finally, the last section (s. section 3.4) described this thesis scope and

delimitation.

The participatory backcasting methodology conducted for this thesis is structured by combining both; the five process steps created by Quist et al. (2006) on page 871 and the “Modular Participatory Backcasting” 13 modules utilized in this thesis as sub-steps.

An overview of both process steps and sub-steps combined is presented below in ‘Table 3.1’.

Table 3.1. Overview of a combined backcasting structure

Backcasting process steps Sub steps

1. Strategic Problem Orientation 1. Problem Orientation

2. System Boundaries 3. Current Situation 4. Stakeholder Analysis 5. Needs and Functions 6. Criteria

2. Construction of Sustainable Future Vision 7. Vision 3. Backcasting: Backward-Looking Analyses 8. Drivers

9. Solutions 10. Solution Testing 4. Elaboration and Defining Follow-up and an

Action Agenda 11. Pathway 12. Action Plan

5. Embedding of results and generating

follow-up 13. Follow-ups

3.1 Organization of the Work

At the start of the project, it was agreed by both the author and the supervisor that R. Milestads’ primary role was to provide academic and methodological feedback on the project’s work.

Besides, her involvement at the farm was to be used to start-up contact between the author and the farm members, to be a respondent to the survey questions, and to provide additional empirical data and clarifications about the farm- i.e., structure, history, and contact

members- if required. Thus, she did not participate in the workshop.

As a reflection, having a supervisor being also a stakeholder did not have any significant positive nor negative effect over the work -except for accelerating the process of contacting intended stakeholders. In the initial phase, it was set up and agreed on a supervision framework, including expectations and the extent of the guidance.

Furthermore, in order to maintain good communication and to facilitate data exchange between the supervisor and the thesis author, efforts were put into the upcoming work organization. As a result, an online weekly agenda document was set up, where all essential information and tasks to be carried out resulting from the meetings were reported.

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Additionally, a roadmap was created, and it included deadlines, events, and key tasks to follow related to the participatory backcasting process. It was used as a tool for orientation for the chronological realization of all the tasks.

To achieve the purposes defined in this thesis, it required contributions from a wide range of disciplines, so to collect all data research documentation, separate files on Google-Drive were created and allowed the author to have it organized and well-managed.

3.2 Data collection

The participatory backcasting methodology data for this thesis is partly based on empirical qualitative evidence. The evidence is provided by means of data gathered by conducting a workshop (s. section 3.2.1) and online surveys (s. section 3.2.2) with local members of Änggärdet. Moreover, a semi-structured in-depth interview with a local stakeholder

representative from the public sector was arranged (s. section 3.2.3); however, the interview could not be conducted at the end. Finally, another input of data were field notes and

observations gathered by the author.

Besides qualitative data collection, other manners to collect data included extensive multidisciplinary research on literature, particularly in scientific publications and papers. Thus, research was realized into various project summaries, especially for backcasting step 1 (s. section 3.3.4, 3.3.5) and step 4 (s. section 3.6.1). Moreover, data collection was supported with external internet sources and internal documentation (including documents and reports) from Änggärdet. The results and analysis of the acquired data are displayed in chapter 4 ‘Results.'

3.2.1 Workshop

The original idea was to produce thematic clusters of ideas on how a sustainable community farm might work concerning production and consumption in 2030. Nevertheless, the outbreak of a worldwide coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sweden and its threat to public health made it not possible to conduct the workshop on the initial dates. The author decided to postpone, and it finally took place on the 17th of July. Before, on the 10th, the invitations to

the workshop were sent to the participants. Additionally, a script with guidelines for facilitation purposes was sent to them beforehand. Finally, a total of 3 participants were present in the workshop.

Because of the date change, the workshop's goal also changed as, on these dates, most of the thesis was completed. Therefore, the workshop's input was then decided to be used as a participatory element of discussion concerning the solutions, pathways, and action steps. Two objectives were set. First, to give all participants a chance to discuss whether or not the presented solutions would be valid options. Secondly, participants could elaborate on their ideas and evaluate possible next pathways and action steps in the selected future.

Consequently, the change of workshop objectives was then translated into an obvious

different workshop result. The data gathered in the form of notes were then used as input for the analysis (s. section 4 ‘Results’). An outline of the workshop at Änggärdet is found in ‘Appendix C’ (s. section C.1).

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12 P a g e | 12 3.2.2 Survey

This survey was addressed to the members of the Änggärdet and aimed to identify sustainability challenges occurring on the farm by assessing the current situation.

An invitation for voluntary participation was sent at the end of February to all members and trial members. As a result, a total of 12 responses were sent back to the author. Three

respondents required some assistance due to a language barrier, so the author traveled to Änggärdet and helped them finalize their answers.

The rationale of the survey questions aimed to cast a wide net of challenges from different areas (socio-cultural, technological, and organizational aspects). Furthermore, the options given to the participants in the questions (5th,6th, and 7th) were supported by the use of

relevant literature, such as internal reports and scientific literature.

The author relied on the answers and notes given by Änggärdet members and was contemplated as a result. The assessment of each question included in the survey was different, as the eight total questions had different interpretations. Particularly, the method of analysis to evaluate the results of some of the questions was content analysis. In other words, the sentences were split into words, and the frequency of each word was then counted. As a consequence, it is shown an aggregate of the use of words as the results. An outline of the problem orientation survey is included in ‘Appendix B.1’.

3.2.3 Interview

An in-depth key informant interview with an environmental strategist in Flens Municipality was supposed to be conducted in April 2020. However, an invitation to take part in the study was declined.

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3.3 Methodologies used for the participatory backcasting process

The following figure contains an overview of the methodologies used for this report's participatory backcasting process. The text that follows after the figure refers to each step and describes each sub-step aim and method in detail.

Figure 3.1 Backcasting steps and sub-steps overview

Source: Adapted from (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019)

Backcasting Step 1: Strategic Problem Orientation

Backcasting Step 2: Construction of Sustainable Future Vision

Backcasting Step 3: Backcasting: Backward-Looking Analyses

Backcasting Step 4: Elaboration and Defining Follow-up and an Action Agenda

Backcasting Step 5: Embedding of results and generating follow-up 1.Problem Orientation

2. System boundaries 3. Current situation

4. Stakeholder Analysis 5. Needs and functions

6. Criteria 7.Vision 8. Drivers 9. Solutions 10. Solution Testing 11. Pathway 12. Action Plan 13. Follow-ups

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Backcasting Step 1: Strategic Problem Orientation

1.

The problem orientation is the problem framing and identified present challenges in addition to limitations. The author conducted a survey, which was used as a participatory method. The collected responses were then used to establish the most unsustainable patterns and practices (in terms of sociocultural, technological, and organizational aspects).

2. The system boundaries were based on a description of the socio-technical system (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). Besides, the data input came from the problem orientation survey’s and the author’s reflections.

3. The current situation analyzed how Änggärdet members were identified with the

problem. The data input was based on the survey questions (1st and 2nd) and the system boundaries. Thus, the author decided to analyze the open-ended responses with content clouds, a method used to analyze qualitative data (Cidell, 2010).

4. The stakeholder analysis aimed to identify, list, classify and assess the study's stakeholders. The data input was based on the survey question (7th).

5. The next sub-step, named needs and functions, aimed to identify the needs and functions based on the 'Problem Orientation' results. In addition, the internal limitations of the system were determined by the author through unpublished internal documents. 6. Finally, the last sub-step was criteria that aimed to verify that the proposed internal

scenarios aligned with the vision (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). In other words, it referred to the features that the future and final solution were tested against. The method used was based on an extensive literature review and individual brainstorming. A more detailed Criteria description is presented in ‘Appendix D’ (s. section D.1).

Backcasting Step 2: Construction of Sustainable Future Vision

The vision step was based on the author’s academic knowledge together with data found by looking at Änggärdet purposes stated in its internal documents, in particular at Änggärdet (Änggärdet, 2011d). In addition, the visions set by Flen Municipality City Council or Flens Municipality and the definition of sustainable development (Brundtland, 1987, p.41) were taken as references.

Backcasting Step 3: Backcasting: Backward-Looking Analyses

8. The author decided to organize the drivers sub-step into three segments: i. To identify, categorize, and analyze impact levels of the driving forces. ii. Uncertainty analysis and classification of trends and uncertainties. iii. Development of future external scenarios through a sensitivity analysis A more detailed driver's description is presented in ‘Appendix D’ (s. section D.2). 9. The solution's goal was to suggest alternative structures and realize the vision

(Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). The method used was a morphological analysis, as it can be used to explore all potential internal scenarios to a multidimensional problem

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(Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). The result was based on the author's academic knowledge and literature review.

It is remarkable to mention that all the guidance (including steps) to conduct the analysis was provided by Ritchey (Ritchey, 2006, p.5). For the manual, the mPB (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019) followed the same approach. Similarly, the author of this project did adopt the same approach, and it goes as follows:

As mentioned by Ritchey (Ritchey, 2006, p.5). “the analysis phase begins by identifying and defining the most important dimensions of the problem complex to be investigated. Each of these dimensions is then given a range of relevant values or conditions. Together, these make up the variables or parameters of the problem to be structured.” “A

morphological field is constructed by setting the parameters against each other, in parallel columns." Finally, it is added, “ ideally, one would examine all of the configurations in the field, in order to establish which of them are possible, viable, practical, interesting, etc., and which are not.”

According to (Slaughter, 2002), and as it is mentioned in (Pereverza et al., 2015,p.236), "scenarios are internally coherent pictures of possible futures." Moreover, Pereverza (Pereverza et al., 2015) also recognizes the need to distinguish between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ scenarios. The former refers to “the possible realizations of a socio-technical system under study in future (from now on called 'solutions')" (Pereverza et al., 2015,p.236), while the latter refers to "possible futures formed by external conditions with respect to this system” (Pereverza et al., 2015,p.236).

For the purpose of this project, the concepts of ‘internal scenario or solution’ and ‘external’ scenario, it is adopted the same approach as in (Pereverza et al., 2015). Nevertheless, it is important to note the difference between an ‘internal scenario or solution’ and a solution, meaning a solution to a problem or a perspective on it. The solutions examples observed in this project are both small- and large-scale solutions. 10. The solution testing’s goal was that solutions were to be tested against the criteria and

evaluated its robustness and sensitivity. For the formulation of the results, the author took into account both drivers and barriers. The methods used were criteria testing, robustness, and sensitivity testing (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). A more detailed Solution testing description is presented in ‘Appendix D’ (s. section D.4).

Backcasting Step 4: Elaboration and Defining Follow-up and an Action Agenda

11. The Pathway referred to the short, medium- and long-term changes and its respective actions. In addition, it aimed to identify necessary stakeholders and to set and place the changes on a timeline (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). The methods used were individual brainstorming and an extensive literature review. Thus, a participatory element through the use of a workshop was included.

12. The action plan aimed to formulate a list with short-term sub-goals and specific actions that worked in alignment with the long-term changes and overall project’s vision. Also, it aimed to determine a time horizon and the necessary stakeholders (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). The methods used were again individual brainstorming and an extensive literature review.

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Backcasting Step 5: Embedding of results and generating follow-up

The last sub-step goal, named follow-ups, was to formulate follow-ups activities and monitor the outcomes (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019). For this purpose, the methods used were individual brainstorming and literature review.

3.4 Scope and Delimitation

This thesis implements a participative backcasting methodology, which meant that external actors besides Änggärdet were initially to be considered. Thereby, a geographical boundary up to a municipal level – Flens Municipality- was set. An assessment of potential

stakeholders to be involved in the study is presented in (s. section 4.1.4).

Additionally, this work's scope is the research of sustainability implementation in community farms, focusing on sustainable production and consumption practices. In

parallel, the scope includes acquiring an understanding of the current situation of Änggärdet community farm. Nevertheless, after the authors gathered empirical evidence through the use of surveys, an investigation of the system started, and an adjustment of the scope occurred; narrow it down into the following unsustainable patterns and practices: - energy-intensive practices

- not use crop growing and livestock breeding

- not a good job when agriculture/ horticulture and/ or with the technology used - mobility/ commuting

- food purchases

- non-active community

All detailed information about the unsustainable patterns and practices is included in (s. section 4.1.3). The main reason to apply such changes referred to the author realized that the investigation of all unsustainable patterns and practices based on the use of resources and the members' lifestyle was too broad given the time constraint. Furthermore, Änggärdet members referenced those six patterns and practices the most when asked about in the surveys.

Concerning the temporal boundary, the time frame selected for the study is from 2020 to 2030, and the total time for the study to take place was around eight months. Initially, this thesis was expected to be finished in June; however, it was instead finished in September due to some author's personal affairs. A more detailed document concerning the time factor is found in 'Appendix A' (s. section A.1), including a detailed roadmap project with a weekly and monthly assessment, including different thesis project tasks and phases.

Finally, there is a limitation based on backcasting theories. According to the design process and futures thinking, the classification of internal scenarios or solutions is normative

(meaning how a solution to a problem might look). It is also a participative model, where not only Änggärdet members but also other local stakeholders are relevant to this thesis as it strives for community building and collective action. The main actor of the study, Änggärdet community farm, is currently formed by 16 members, in addition to the other three trial members and one who is a neighbor and helps the community development with

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4. Results

Based on the methodological framework for the backcasting process created by Quist, et al., (2006), the backcasting process results are described and divided into five steps (s. section 4.1 ‘backcasting step 1’) including ‘problem orientation’, ‘system boundaries’, ‘current situation’, ‘stakeholders analysis’, ‘needs and functions’ and ‘criteria’, (s. section 4.2 ‘backcasting step 2’), including ‘vision’, (s. section 4.3 ‘Backcasting step 3’) including ‘drivers’, ‘solutions’ and ‘solution testing’, (s. section 4.4 ‘Backcasting step 4’) including ‘pathway’ and ‘action plan’, and finally (s. section 4.5 ‘Backcasting step 5’) including ‘follow-ups’.

4.1 Backcasting Step 1: Strategic Problem Orientation

4.1.1 Problem Orientation

The problem orientation results were obtained by forming two questions on the problem orientation survey, presented in ‘Appendix B.1’.

In response to the question “Based on your experience at the farm, check the boxes of the THREE (3) most UNSUSTAINABLE patterns/practices based on the use of resources at the farm”, the participants selected the most the following three patterns/practices:

1. Energy-intensive practices (as such, housing indoor temperature, cooking electricity, and water heating)

This option had a total of four responses. The most chosen characteristic among energy-intensive practices was the heating system that the residential building has.

2. Not use crop growing and livestock breeding.

This option had a total of four responses. Some characteristics of both activities were that they were not currently in use, even though livestock breeding has been used in the past.

3. Not a good job when agriculture/horticulture and/or with the technology used Finally, this option accounted also for a total of four responses. In particular, to the last question, a respondent included a brief description of the aspects that members seem to miss; “knowledge and data gap for nutrient cycling, as seems to be cultivating only in a small area of the farm." The respondent also added, "however, we recognize that this is a necessary learning process for us."

In response to the question “Based on your experience at the farm, check the boxes of the THREE (3) most UNSUSTAINABLE patterns/practices based on your lifestyle

at Änggärdet, the participants selected: 1. Unsustainable mobility/commuting

This option had a total of 8 responses. A respondent added “the use of cars" and another "commuting" as the question's characteristics.

2. Unsustainable food purchases

This option had a total of 5 responses. A respondent added to the question, "most of the food we eat is not produced at Änggärdet, and I suppose this could be improved in the future."

3. Non-active community

For this project, to identify “non-active community” as an unsustainable pattern/practices based on Änggärdet members lifestyle is given by the fact that, as mentioned in Bosworth and Hegarty (Bosworth & Hegarty, 2017) and (Hegarty, 2007), in order to adopt sustainable

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practices at a community farm the individuals involved should ideally agree on being active, meaning to be aspirational and positive. In addition, the community's engagement depends on shared responsibility, and, as a result, pleasure and comfort come from it when dividing tasks among the participating individuals.

Finally, this last option had a total of 3 responses. Any respondent did not give additional comments.

Overall, the results of both questions show that members frame the main sustainability challenges differently. Therefore, the motivation behind selecting the three most voted responses in each question was that the author attempted to develop a shared understanding of the problem so it could be used on the following steps of the backcasting method.

The second goal of the problem orientation was to identify the limitations of the backcasting study project, and they are described later in the project (s. section 3.4 Scope and

Delimitation).

In summary, the main unsustainable patterns and practices identified based on the use of resources and the members' lifestyle were:

1. Energy-intensive practices

2. Not use crop growing and livestock breeding.

3. Not a good job when agriculture/ horticulture and/ or with the technology 4. Mobility/ commuting

5. Food purchase

6. Non-active community

4.1.2 System Boundaries

The system boundaries are already identified and presented in (s. section 1.4 Scope and Delimitation).

4.1.3 Current Situation

The aim was to examine how Änggärdets internal environment was associated with

sustainable production and consumption. To do so, the author decided to perform two steps. Firstly, it was assessed the initial knowledge that Änggärdet members had about the

concepts of sustainable production and sustainable consumption. Secondly, there were identified the most important practices related to production and consumption at that time at Änggärdet. In that manner, the respondents' data input provided an overview of the current situation in terms of sustainable production and consumption patterns and practices at Änggärdet.

In response to the question ‘What do you understand by “sustainable production and consumption”’? the first concept was described using different terms and descriptions, presented on the left column in ‘Table 4.1’.

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Table 4.1. Sustainable production concepts and descriptions

Sustainable production concepts and descriptions Total number of references

Natural capital 1

Enhance future production 2

Independent (referring not to need municipal networks) 1

Not use non-renewable resources 1

Not harmful to the environment and fauna 1

Not depleting resources 3

Increase or restore resources 2

Regenerative agriculture 1

Decrease possibilities for future generations to fulfill full life needs 1

Alignment to Swedish environmental objectives 2

Alignment to the SDGs 1

Cycle (referring to nutrient cycle) 1

System in=out (referring to a flow balance) 1

Re-use and re-do 1

Small production units 1

Changes to the environment 1

Care for the soil 1

Rotation of growing vegetables avoid monoculture 1

Concerning 'sustainable consumption,' the respondents' terms and descriptions are presented in the left column in 'Table 4.2’.

Table 4.2. Sustainable consumption concepts and descriptions

Sustainable consumption concepts and descriptions Total number of references

Not depleting resources 1

A fair share of sustainable production 2

Sourced locally 1

At the same time, able to support all fauna species and humans 1

Perpetual practice 1

Without drawing unlimited resources 1

Not overconsumption, particularly in rich economic countries as

Sweden 2

Trading like the "old times." 1

Feeling and connection with eaten food 1

Feeling, connection and belongingness to nature 1

Add pollution (unclear meaning) 1

Environmental changes 1

It is important to remark that the author did not predefine all answers presented in 'Table 4.1’ and ‘Table 4.2’. In other words, the author formulated open-ended questions, allowing respondents to answer freely. Therefore, a diversity of answers existed among the responses. For that same reason, some of them overlapped.

In response to the question, "What are the most important practices related to production and consumption at the moment at Änggärdet? all answers were collected and formed a varied and extensive list. In favor of better comprehension and to show where efforts, resources, and time concerning production and consumption were put on at the farm, all responses were grouped into six thematic areas (outdoor activities, network services, local activities social interactions, existence values, and farming products)

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To name a few examples, some of the most significant activities included the work with ‘timber and fuelwood,' ‘travels to and from Änggärdet,' 'to produce electricity by

photovoltaic,' ‘to build meaningful social relationships’ and ‘to locally grow and consume vegetables.'

Primarily, ‘outdoor activities,' ‘local activities,' and ‘farming products’ were the activities with a higher number of respondents' references. In contrast, ‘network services,' ‘social interactions,' and ‘existence values’ were referenced to a lower degree. Besides, the

respondents added some personal reflections to their responses, including “In my opinion, we’ve not come very far, but we’re at least trying to consider our consumption and waste, and try to recycle and compost and grow food and so on." A detailed description of the activities happening at Änggärdet concerning production and consumption is presented in ‘Appendix D.7’, including some other personal reflections from the respondents.

In summary, the most frequently given concepts and descriptions to define both included; the ‘enhancement of future production,' the 'not depletion of resources’, to ‘increase or restore resources,' the 'alignment to Swedish environmental objectives,' 'consumption on a fair share of sustainable production’ and ‘to avoid overconsumption.'

On the other hand, the three practices with the highest number of references mentioned by the respondents were ‘timber and fuelwood,' to 'produce electricity by photovoltaic’ and ‘growing and consuming vegetables.' Besides, 'local activities,' 'outdoor activities,' and 'farm products’ were the respondents' most referenced thematic areas.

4.1.4 Stakeholder Analysis

As indicated by mPB (Mpb.urbant.org, 2019), the stakeholder analysis section's outcome is a list of stakeholders and a plan for them about its' involved in the study.

As it is described in (s. section 1.1 Änggärdet - a Community Farm), this study accounts that 20 individuals form Änggärdet. As a result of the literature review, the author identified and added actors in the survey ‘Appendix B.1’ as potential stakeholders to influence over

Änggärdet and/or to be influenced by Änggärdet. Furthermore, and based on the previously stated system boundaries (s. section 1.4 Scope and Delimitation), the selection of

stakeholders was performed within the geographical boundary of the Flen Municipality. Three groups were identified:

1. Citizens of Skebokvarn: A village in Flen Municipality.

2. Private sector: Formed by stakeholders including neighbor farmers, the Canoe Center, which rents out canoes, accessories, provides accommodation (Kanotcenter Skebokvarn, 2011) and Skebokvarnsgardens BygdeCafé, a coffee shop, craft exhibit area, and also bookshop (Skebokvarns Bygderåd, 2019b).

3. Public sector: Includes stakeholders such as the local council (Skebokvarn Bygderad) (Skebokvarns Bygderåd, 2008) and Flen Municipality (City Population, 2018).

After identifying all potential stakeholders to be involved in the study, a question was added to the survey ‘Appendix B.1’concerning their position. The following paragraphs include the data collected from the surveys:

In response to the question “In order to elaborate a transition path, do you think it is important to include other actors besides Änggärdet members (with enough influence

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and/or partnership to Änggärdet)? and based on the three groups previously identified, only the last option seemed to be favorable and participants to be optimistic about the idea.

Concerning ‘the citizens of Skebokvarn’ option, only three survey respondents’ chose it, adding “generally, a good relationship with our neighbors is vital and something we talk a lot about and try to develop all the time," and “ yes, important, we have various

interactions with neighbors." Nevertheless, no names were given nor identified; therefore, the author decided not to include this option in the study.

The second group, named ‘the private sector,' was also chosen by three respondents. Similarly, no suggestions nor names were added, and consequently, the author decided not to include this stakeholder group in the study either.

Finally, the third stakeholder group ‘the public sector’ was chosen by the majority of the respondents, adding that “Flen municipality is probably the best bet” among some

comments. Furthermore, a respondent brought a name in this option, the chairman of the Bygderåd as a potential Skebokvarn representative. Given the circumstances, the author agreed to include this group in the study through contact. Nevertheless, communication never existed because the respondent did not answer after the author sent the messages. On the other hand, later in the project, there was a contact with one representative at Flens kommun. However, an invitation to take part in the study was declined.

In summary, any of the three stakeholder groups were finally included in the study but the main actor, Änggärdet community farm.

4.1.5 Needs and Functions

This section identified the needs and functions of the current and future systems that need to be fulfilled. Based on the problem orientation section (s. section 4.1.1), the results of the analysis were also categorized as the needs of this study:

1. The need for achieving higher efficiency of resources in the matter of energy production and consumption,

2. The need to start using or to find sustainable alternatives for growing crops and livestock breeding

3. The need to find sustainable alternatives for agriculture/horticulture and/or with available technology

4. The need to find more sustainable alternatives for mobility/commuting 5. The need to find more sustainable alternatives for food purchases 6. The need to create a more active community

Taking into consideration that the selected needs had the greatest importance by

Änggärdet members (s. section 4.1.1), it was expected by the author that the results identified and proposed to deal with these needs would also have the most significant influence over Änggärdet future state.

Concerning the functions of the current system, they were described as; all members are expected to participate through the purchase of environmentally friendly goods and services, create the conditions for a sustainable and resilient community farm, and help to its

development (Änggärdet, 2011b). On the other hand, the system's future functions were conditional to the system needs and the ideas generated by establishing these needs. Therefore, the author decided to describe future functions in the later steps of the

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