Below the Tip of the Iceberg
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2025 3:52 am
Two years ago, we wrote a NextBillion article on why so many promising innovations are so hard to scale to a level where they have a significant impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. We called for a massive break with the linear and technology-driven way of providing solutions for global problems. We proposed some strategies to develop a more systemic and problem-driven approach to scaling successful initiatives, but we also recognized that the widespread application of korea whatsapp number datasuch approaches was an exception rather than a rule.
Since then, we have observed a surge in the use of words like “systems thinking” and “transformation” in the development sector. For example, in our line of work at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), we speak less of “agriculture” and more of “agri-food systems,” in which production and consumption are connected and limited to our planetary boundaries. In exploring the implications of this new way of thinking, we’ve asked ourselves what “agri-food system change” really involves, and what that means for scaling innovations in a systems context.
To help guide this work, we applied an emblematic system thinking tool, the iceberg model, to the case of scaling land restoration practices in Central America. These are practices that curb erosion and improve soil structure and fertility to allow increased farm productivity and improve water and food security. The iceberg model helped us to recognize the systemic root causes of land degradation, and to identify what it takes to restore lands at a large scale. Below, we’ll explore this model and discuss how it has impacted our efforts to support land restoration and improve agri-food systems.
Since then, we have observed a surge in the use of words like “systems thinking” and “transformation” in the development sector. For example, in our line of work at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), we speak less of “agriculture” and more of “agri-food systems,” in which production and consumption are connected and limited to our planetary boundaries. In exploring the implications of this new way of thinking, we’ve asked ourselves what “agri-food system change” really involves, and what that means for scaling innovations in a systems context.
To help guide this work, we applied an emblematic system thinking tool, the iceberg model, to the case of scaling land restoration practices in Central America. These are practices that curb erosion and improve soil structure and fertility to allow increased farm productivity and improve water and food security. The iceberg model helped us to recognize the systemic root causes of land degradation, and to identify what it takes to restore lands at a large scale. Below, we’ll explore this model and discuss how it has impacted our efforts to support land restoration and improve agri-food systems.