Day 2: Systems thinking 2 (system properties and characteristics)

Word of the day: Anthropocene

Definition: The name of a new geological epoch in which human activity has been the dominant influence (mostly negative) on the earths systems.

Class Activity

The day 2 activity was an integrated module of teaching and videos, to understand Systems Thinking and see real life examples of the Complex Adaptive System.

Video : A Systems Story (Systems Thinking)

The video tells of the story of a village of blind men experiencing an Elephant for the first time. Each individual grabbed a part of the Elephant and described it based on that part only, for one it was a rug, for another it was columns, while another a snake. By experiencing only parts of the Elephant the villagers were unable to see the elephant for what it truly was.

This implies that Systems Thinking is “thinking differently” and constitutes 5 shifts in doing science differently:

1. A shift from studying a phenomenon in isolation to looking at its systemic properties and interactions
2. From objects to patterns of Organisation
3. From closed to open systems: studying a phenomenon in its context rather than in isolation
4. Assessing and capturing the complexity of the phenomenon:
5. Framing the boundaries of the system – merging the subject with the object, in order to understand it.

The Implications for Systems Thinking are outlined below

• Assess the System
• Develop multiple descriptions, framings and practices: Integrate Knowledge, encourage transdiciplinarity
• Employ change interventions that view change processes as being relational, non-linear and emergent with unpredictable outcomes
• Foster complexity thinking:
• Reimagine the role of anticipating new futures

Video : ‘How Wolves Changes Rivers’

This video shows the various features of the Complex Adaptive System (Dynamic, Contextual Adaptive etc). It tells the story of how the introduction of wolves to the Yellow Stone National Park USA caused Trophic cascades (an unintended consequence) resulting in dramatic changes in the parks ecosystem structure and physical geography of the park.

Video : ‘Systems thinking a cautionary tale (Cats in Borneo)’

This video also shows unintended consequence as well as cascading effect of human intervention (complex causality). It tells the story of how WHO’s intervention to stop malaria in Borne by spraying DDT, eventually resulted in a mice epidemic.

‘Case Study : The decline of Lake Victoria’

The story of Lake Victoria similar to Borneo also shows the features of Complex Adaptive Systems at work as a result of human intervention. The introduction of the Nile Perch, triggers an events and tele-connections that results in biological (increase in the number of mosquitoes) and even socio-economic (armed robbery) consequence. (Rachel Akinola)

Day 5: Visit to Beacon Valley School Garden

We went for a field trip to Mitchells Plain, Beacon School for kids with special needs. The school has a school/community backyard garden project that is aimed at giving the learners another platform of practical education. Learners in intermediate and junior phase are interactive in the garden more than those at senior phase as they have a lot of teenage influences. This garden is supported by the Ufisamo and Department of Agriculture (extension officers).

 

Geographically Mitchells Plain is a few kilometres from the Coastal line and the soil is sandy, actually its beach sand. Sandy soil is mostly characterised as a soil without any nutrients because nutrients leach very easy on these soils due to the soil particles being dispersed and loose and its often referred to as “a bad soil for planting” but this project has now showed us that soil is soil no matter the characters and it can bear produce if well taken care of. They have different methods and structures in place to display that planting can be done in anyway.

Through mulching, green manure, dip irrigation and organic pest control mechanism, the garden is able to active all year round. The garden provides a weekly supply of vegetables to the school and to the community. Two of the ex-learners of the school have been employed by the garden. (Feni, A. J.)

Day 5: Visit to Lynedoch Eco-village- Sustainability Institute

The Sustainability Institute is a closely-knit organisation which promotes environmental concerns on day to day living. The community is built with children at the centre. The institute has an eco-village which promotes construction with eco-friendly materials, biogas digester provides cooking power, solar panels run some household appliances, and water is recycled at all levels. The eco-garden through permaculture principles promotes farming systems with minimal destruction of the environment and supplies food for the village and hundreds of school kids in the eco-village. The eco-garden uses natural pest control methods, food waste and compost for manure, seeds not treated are sourced from nearby farmers, the earthworms farmed in the garden help mix and aerate the soil. All these aspects are efforts to educate every visitor, resident and student of their roles in sustainable use of natural resources. (Twanani Halimani)

Follow the link to see our video:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pcofqhosu6xu4hb/MovieCreator_20180209220903.mp4?dl=0

 

 

Day 3: Network Analysis

In this lecture, students learnt how networks are used to model and visually represent complex systems. The students learnt how nodes and edges are used to model entities in a system and their relationship to one another. Further, the three major network models (Random, Small-World and Scale free) were discussed along with the metrics used to analyse complex networks.

The students also had the opportunity to analyse a network of information sharing between National Parks, Provincial Nature Parks and Private Protected Areas. Different KPI’s, such as Network density and diameter, were used to analyse and describe the network. Below is the visual representation obtained from analysing the class example data. (Drik Stoffberg)

Day 4: Introduction to food systems

What is a food system? It is a question that you are probably asking yourself. Well, guess what, you are part of the food system. Yes, you might not be a farmer, but you are part of it. Every human being is part of a food system, directly involved as a consumer. The system is the whole process involving activities from producing, retailing, distribution, processing and even recycling only to mention the few. What a very complex system it is. For example, the picture below is of a list of each student’s favourite meal. Each meal consists of many different ingredients, for which only a few are directly from the farms. The other ingredients are processed products. Do we know which farm each product came from initially, where it was produced, the person who produced it, or even the bank that financed the production of such products? No, we do not. This is how complex the food system gets. Even a change in a policy by the government (which is an indirect player in the system) can make changes to the system. (Rufaro Talent Mashaya.)

Day 1 : Systems thinking 1(the system lens)

Today began with introductions: a short summary was provided by all, quick overview of who we are, where our interests are currently manifesting and what our expectations of the module on complex systems theory are. Our guide, Rika explained how the institute came about and shared some of her passion for what it is that she does. She took us through the evolution of “scientific thought” from then to now. What was really interesting was the difference between how and why and how the specific type of questioning sets itself up for a particular type of inquiry. Looking forward to day 2. (Robert Andrews)

The Journey Begins

The Faculty of AgricSciences at Stellenbosch University offers an MSc in Sustainable agriculture. This course on systems thinking and analysis forms the foundation for the MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and provides the conceptual glue that will integrate the different courses within the MSc curriculum.

The lectures cover the concepts, terminology and tools of systems analysis and thinking, such as systems and their boundaries, components and relational structure, stocks and flows, feedback, resilience and its limits, self-organisation, hierarchy, complex causality.

The 2018 module was facilitated by Dr. Sandra Boatemaa and Dr. Rika Preiser at the Centre for Complex Systems in Transitions. Dr. Kristi Maciejewski an expert in Network Analysis NA, gave a lecture on how to use NA to visualise and represent complex phenomena.

Thanks to Julia Harper, Karin Vergeer, Marandure Tawanda, Von Wechmar Elizabeth and Dr. Micheal Jordan for helping with administration.