g. plough more shallow/less frequently) and attempt to adapt to Lonafarnib in vitro this and other novel circumstances over which they have no control. This example demonstrates that sustainability can be an issue of wicked complexity in which “a system’s makeup and dynamics are dominated by differing (or even antagonistic) human values and by deep uncertainty not only about the future but even about knowing what is actually going on in the present. Any solution to a wicked problem should be expected to create unanticipated but equally difficult new problems […].” (Allenby and Sarewitz 2011, p. 109). The consequent sustainability concept would
be a ‘wicked concept of sustainability’, which acknowledges that there is no universally excepted answer to the question of sustainability. This may be viewed as a rather sobering conclusion. And, yet, while there Sapitinib is no finite resolution, socially desirable outcomes
can emerge from a commitment to confronting and working with the perceptions and contested values embedded in the concept of sustainability. Conclusions We outlined that vagueness is a core property of sustainability, and that system-specific vagueness can be denoted using descriptive quantifiers. The model can be used to assess trade-offs and constraints to sustainability in ways that would be impossible in vivo. It is a quantitative, predictive and diagnostic tool for characterising important, but partial aspects of sustainability in wheat-based systems of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We stress that inherent values and individual choices cannot be fully internalised in a model. Hence, sole reliance on a model (any model) in sustainability assessments would be a rather technocratic confinement attempting to understand sustainability outside of the wider societal discourse and context. Yet, the model-based assessment framework has value when it serves as a powerful, exploratory core element in conversations with diverse stakeholders. It is a research approach that embraces and connects clearly with the needs and values of decision-makers in the farming community. In light of our analysis, we aminophylline conclude that sustainability is as a vague, emergent system
property of often wicked complexity. This property applies selleck compound within the realm of methodologically grounded norms, values and constraints that are inherent to any assessment strategy. Rather than being the endpoint of an assessment, a ‘wicked concept of sustainability’ may guide a research process within an adaptive framework that integrates thinking, traditions and practices of both the natural and social sciences. Acknowledgements The first author is indebted to the staff at ICARDA, Syria, for their support and generosity, particularly Atef Haddad, Dolly Mousally, Um Muhana, Turkiye, Sumaya, Abu Nadim and Abdul Karim. Peace. The study was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Eiselen Foundation Ulm, and the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg, Germany.