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The nature of the relationship between the European Union (EU) and Africa is in permanent evolution. Historically, the EU mostly dominated the relationship while Africa developed adaptive/reactive strategies. With the establishment of new powers as well as efforts to decolonise the thought and practise of North-South interactions, it is crucial to understand what the future of the relationship could be. The purpose of this paper is to draw lessons from the “Broadening the debate on EU-Africa relations” workshop whose aim was to advance perspectives on EU-Africa relations from the point of view of African scholars. The process consisted of identifying major influential factors in the relationship and assessing what role they played in the past and what role they could play in the future. The results indicate a decline of the importance of EU-dominated factors and the emergence of African agency related factors. We interpret these results as a transformation of this relationship, using the concept “post-normal” to highlight indeterminacy, insolvability and irreversibility as the new context. Implications are discussed regarding the type of research that needs to be developed in order to further investigate this transformation, particularly the meaning of a shifting focus from (normal times) EU-Africa relationship to (post-normal times) Africa-EU relationships.

Calling on the concept of environmental justice in its distributive, procedural and recognition dimensions, we implemented a coelaborative scenario building approach to explore sustainable livelihoods pathways in four sites belonging to two Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in southern Africa. Grounded on participation and transdisciplinarity, as a foundation for decolonised anticipatory action research, we aimed at stimulating knowledge exchange and providing insights on the future of local livelihoods engaging experts living within these TFCAs. Our results show that wildlife and wildlife‐related activities are not seen as the primary drivers of local livelihoods, despite the focus and investments of dominant stakeholders in these sectors. Instead, local governance and land use regulations emerged as key drivers in the four study sites. The state of natural resources, including water, and appropriate farming systems also appeared critical to sustain future livelihoods in TFCAs, together with the recognition of indigenous culture, knowledge and value systems. Nature conservation, especially in Africa, is rooted in its colonial past and struggles to free or decolonise itself from the habits of this past despite decades of reconsideration. To date, the enduring coloniality of conservation prevents local citizens from truly participating in the planning and designing of the TFCAs they live in, leaving room for limited benefits to local citizens and often limiting Indigenous people's capacity to conserve. A practical way forward is to consider environmental justice as a cement between the two pillars of the TFCA concept, that is, nature conservation and socio‐economic development of local or neighbouring communities, as part of a more broadly and urgent need to rethink the relationships between people in, and with, the rest of nature. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Résumé Utilisant le concept de justice environnementale dans ses dimensions de distribution, de procédure et de reconnaissance, nous avons mis en oeuvre une approche de coélaboration de scénarios afin d'explorer des trajectoires durables des modes de subsistance des populations locales dans quatre sites appartenant à deux zones de conservation transfrontalières (TFCA) en Afrique australe. Sur la base d'une recherche‐action anticipative et décolonisée, basée sur la participation et la transdisciplinarité, notre objectif était de stimuler l'échange de connaissances et produire des regards sur les futurs des moyens de subsistance locaux en impliquant des experts vivant dans ces TFCA. Nos résultats montrent que la faune et les activités liées à la faune ne sont pas considérées comme les principaux moteurs des moyens de subsistance locaux, malgré l'attention et les investissements des parties prenantes dominantes dans ces secteurs. Au contraire, la gouvernance locale et les réglementations d'utilisation 2 des terres sont apparues comme des facteurs clés dans les quatre sites étudiés. L'état des ressources naturelles, y compris l'eau, et les systèmes agricoles appropriés sont également apparus comme essentiels pour maintenir les moyens de subsistance futurs dans les TFCA, de même que la reconnaissance des cultures locales, des connaissances et des systèmes de valeurs indigènes. La conservation de la nature, en particulier en Afrique, est enracinée dans son passé colonial et lutte encore pour se libérer ou se décoloniser des habitudes de ce passé malgré des décennies de remise en question. À ce jour, la colonialité persistante de la conservation empêche les citoyens locaux de participer réellement à la planification et à la conception des TFCA dans lesquelles ils vivent, apportant de bénéfices limités pour ces citoyens et limitant souvent la capacité des populations autochtones à conserver les ressources naturelles. Nous proposons une façon concrète d’avancer en considérant la justice environnementale comme un ciment entre les deux piliers du concept TFCA, c'est‐à‐dire la conservation de la nature et le développement socioéconomique des communautés locales ou voisines, dans le cadre d'un besoin plus large et urgent de repenser les relations entre les humains dans, et avec, le reste de la nature. Resumo Apelando ao conceito de justiça ambiental nas suas dimensões distributiva, processual e de reconhecimento, implementámos uma abordagem coelaborativa de construção de cenários para explorar caminhos de modos de vida sustentáveis em quatro sítios pertencentes a duas Áreas de Conservação Transfronteiriças (ZFCA) na África Austral. Para a investigação de acções antecipatórias descolonizadas e com base na participação e transdisciplinaridade, procurámos estimular a troca de conhecimentos e fornecer conhecimentos sobre o futuro dos meios de subsistência locais, envolvendo peritos que vivem dentro destas Áreas de Conservação Transfronteiriças. Os nossos resultados mostram que a vida selvagem e as actividades relacionadas com a vida selvagem não são vistas como os principais motores dos meios de subsistência locais, apesar do enfoque e dos investimentos dos intervenientes dominantes nestes sectores. Em vez disso, a governação local e os regulamentos sobre o uso da terra emergiram como os principais impulsionadores nos quatro locais do estudo. O estado dos recursos naturais, incluindo a água, e os sistemas agrícolas apropriados também pareceram críticos para sustentar os futuros meios de subsistência das TFCAs, juntamente com o reconhecimento da cultura indígena, do conhecimento e dos sistemas de valores. A conservação da natureza, especialmente em África, está enraizada no seu passado colonial e luta para se libertar ou descolonizar dos hábitos deste passado, apesar de décadas de reconsideração. Até à data, a persistência da colonialidade da conservação impede os cidadãos locais de participarem verdadeiramente no planeamento e concepção das TFCAs em que vivem, deixando espaço para benefícios limitados aos cidadãos locais e limitando frequentemente a capacidade de conservação dos povos indígenas. Uma forma prática de avançar é considerar a justiça ambiental como um cimento entre os dois pilares do conceito de TFCA, ou seja, a conservação da natureza e o desenvolvimento socioeconómico das comunidades locais ou vizinhas, como parte de uma necessidade mais ampla e urgente de repensar as relações entre os humanos na, e com, o resto da natureza. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to nurture reflections on the colonization of the future in the present with a particular focus on Africa. This paper aims at exploring how participatory research and particularly anticipatory action research can contribute to a decolonising process. Design/methodology/approach Considering the future as a public good, this paper develops a reflection on the colonization processes that can turn it into a club or a private good. This paper mobilizes the notions of participatory knowledge production and local action research as a way to decolonize the future and empower imagination. This paper revisits the tenets of participatory action research as a means to achieve this objective and discusses the main features of a non-colonial anticipatory action research in the context of African futures. Findings This paper highlights the challenges associated with connecting anticipatory endeavours focusing on action research, the creation of collective intelligence and co-design, with the intention of encouraging the decolonisation process. It includes design principles and anticipates a possible process of counter-decolonization. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual paper, which does not provide field-tested evidence. Yet, the authors hope it serves as an input enabling to design methodologies that will prevent the colonisation of the future when engaging in future-oriented research activities in Africa and elsewhere. Originality/value This paper provides an integral approach to the colonisation of the future, as a renewed old question. This paper also connects this process with a reflection on the nature of what could be non-colonizing anticipatory action research.

En Afrique de l’Ouest, dans le contexte général de changement climatique et de mondialisation, la croissance démographique exerce une pression accrue sur les ressources naturelles par les changements d’affectation des sols qu’elle engendre. L’avenir des territoires agricoles, en particulier en périphérie des grandes villes, est alors questionné face à l’urbanisation croissante, la dégradation des ressources naturelles et les mutations socio-économiques. Afin d’anticiper les changements que pourraient connaître les territoires ruraux, une démarche de prospective territoriale a été réalisée sur la zone sud des Niayes, au Sénégal. Elle a permis aux experts locaux mobilisés à cet effet d’identifier les facteurs de changement et de co-élaborer des scénarios d’évolutions plausibles du territoire. Les réglementations, la gouvernance et la démographie sont les trois facteurs majeurs pouvant infléchir de l’affectation des sols dans le temps. Ces facteurs déterminent le type de partage de l’espace et d’utilisation des ressources naturelles, pouvant être harmonieux ou conflictuel. Une gouvernance inclusive, une société civile fortement structurée et la préservation des ressources naturelles sont apparues comme essentielles à l’atteinte de futurs harmonieux. In West Africa, in the global context of climate change and globalization, population growth creates an increasing pressure on natural resources through land allocation changes that it generates. The future of agricultural territories, especially around large cities, is thus questioned considering increasing urbanization, degradation of natural resources and socio-economic transformations. In order to anticipate what changes rural areas could experience, a process of territorial foresight was conducted on the southern Niayes area in Senegal. It enabled the local experts who engaged in this process to identify factors of change and to co-elaborate plausible scenarios of change in the territory. Regulations, governance and demography are the three major factors affecting land allocation over time. These factors determine how space is shared and natural resources are used, harmoniously or through conflict. Inclusive governance, highly structured civil society, but also the preservation of natural resources have emerged as essential to achieving harmonious futures.

The future of rural areas is unpredictable, but it can be explored. This article draws from selected Futures Studies to identify global trends and discontinuities in these trends that could affect rural areas in contrasting ways. These drivers are combined to explore plausible rural transformations, focusing on two major dimensions. One is rooted in societal values and worldviews about the rural world. The other is rooted in consumers’ preferences and how they link to production systems. As a result, seven plausible transformations are identified and discussed. Some of them are already happening, others are in an embryonic stage in various places. Some are desirable, others are not. They call for societal choices and immediate action if the future of rural areas is to be the future we want for them.

In the midst of global change uncertainties, Indonesian spatial planning authorities are developing 20-year strategies. However, the lack of collaborative engagement of stakeholders and unclear methodology around using futures studies in addressing land management undermine such plans and affect environmental governance. A crucial question is how to link a future-oriented process with governance transformation processes, particularly related to land-use planning and management. To address this issue, we used a co-elaborative scenario-building approach, referred to as participatory prospective analysis (PPA), to facilitate the creation of local multistakeholder platforms considering future-oriented perspectives. The PPA design combines equally the knowledge of local communities, technical experts and decision-makers, and was applied in a series of sequential multistakeholder workshops in two regencies in Indonesia, followed by public consultations on the main results. In both regencies, participants agreed on a common topic related to spatial planning in their jurisdiction to be explored with a 20-year time horizon. They reached consensus on relevant variables, analyzed their dependence/influence, and developed several plausible yet contrasting scenarios for land management and road maps with guidelines for the implementation of desired outcomes. The PPA approach stimulated stakeholder engagement and ensured that more local voices were not only heard but also duly included in the process. It allowed participants to consider strategies that would otherwise have been less readily accepted by their respective organizations. It showed that it is possible to improve existing spatial planning processes in Indonesia by integrating tools for a more inclusive and long-term future-oriented collaborative approach.

The lack of understanding on how to integrate ecological issues into so-called social-ecological natural resource management hampers sustainability in tropical forest landscape management. We build upon a comparison of three cases that show inverse gradients of knowledge and perceptions of the environment and human pressure on natural resources. We discuss why the ecological dimension currently lags behind in the management of tropical forest landscapes and to what extent participatory development can enhance the fit among ecological, socio-cultural, and economic systems. For each case study, socio-cultural and anthropological aspects of society and indigenous knowledge of the environment, the distribution of natural resources, classification, and management are documented in parallel with biophysical studies. Our results confirm that the ecological dimension remains weakly addressed and difficult to integrate into development actions when dealing with tropical forested landscape management in developing countries. We discuss three issues to understand why this is so: the disdain for traditional ecological knowledge and practices, the antagonism between economy and ecology, and the mismatch between traditional and modern governance systems. Participatory development shows potential to enhance the fit among ecological, socio-cultural, and economic systems through two dimensions: the generation and sharing of information to understand trends and the generation of new coordination practices that allow stakeholders to voice environmental concerns. In the absence of a “champion,” institutions, and financial resources, the expected outcomes remain on paper, even when changes are negotiated. Future research in natural resource management must emphasize better integration at the interface of ecology and governance. Finally, we identify three challenges: the design of operational tools to reconcile ecology with social and economic concerns, the creation of governance systems to institutionalize collaborative and integrated resource management, and the design of enabler organizations close to local communities.

Objectif L'objectif visé est de nourrir les réflexions sur la colonisation du futur dans le présent en mettant particulièrement l’accent sur le continent africain. Nous visons à explorer comment la recherche participative, et plus particulièrement la recherche-action anticipatoire, peut contribuer au processus de décolonisation effective. Conception/méthodologie/approche Considérant le futur comme un bien public, nous mobilisons une réflexion sur les processus coloniaux qui l’ont transformé, à bien des égards, en bien de club ou en bien privé. Nous faisons ensuite appel aux notions de production participative de connaissances et de recherche-action locale comme moyens de décoloniser le futur et de libérer l'imagination. Nous revisitons ensuite les principes de la recherche-action participative pour atteindre cet objectif et nous examinons les principales caractéristiques d'une recherche-action anticipatoire non coloniale dans le contexte des futurs de l'Afrique. Résultats Nous mettons en évidence les défis issus de la relation entre les efforts d'anticipation axés sur la recherche-action, la création d'une intelligence collective et la co-conception (codesign), dans le but d'encourager le processus de décolonisation. Cette démarche inclut des principes de conception, établit les bases pour un processus anticipatoire, potentiellement décolonial et envisage une possible réaction du système dominant à l’encontre de ce processus de décolonisation. Implications/limitations Il s’agit d’un travail conceptuel, qui ne fournit pas d’éléments testés sur le terrain. Toutefois, nous espérons que cela constituera un apport permettant de concevoir des méthodologies qui préviendront la colonisation du futur lors de la participation à des activités de recherche tournées vers les futurs en Afrique et ailleurs. Originalité/valeur Nous proposons une approche intégrale de la colonisation du futur, comme renouvellement d’une question ancienne. Nous articulons également cette démarche autour d’une réflexion sur la nature de ce que pourrait être une recherche-action anticipatoire décoloniale.

The paper emphasizes key lessons learnt about a research intervention implemented from 2006 to 2009 to solve water access conflicts in the Klaten irrigated rice production area (Central Java, Indonesia). To make stakeholders’ involvement easier, to empower them and build their capacity, action research was carried out according to a flexible and iterative approach. Each step involved a cycle of diagnosis, action planning, implementation, evaluation and learning. The paper shows the need to facilitate the functioning of a multi-stakeholder platform through the creation of a monitoring mechanism in order to ensure, on the one hand, stakeholders’ involvement within the action-research process and on the other hand, foster brainstorming and mutual learning among participants. The paper brings to the fore the usefulness of assessing findings of multidisciplinary and participatory appraisals through modeling and geo-referenced mapping tools in order to facilitate collective learning, negotiation and technical and institutional innovation. Finally, through the assessment of the evolution of the farmers’ association, whose creation was a project outcome, the paper reflects about key issues and key steps that have contributed to carry on successfully the developed methodology. L’article illustre les enseignements tirés d’une recherche-intervention conduite entre 2006 et 2009 dans le bassin rizicole irrigué de Klaten (Java, Indonésie) pour résoudre les conflits d’accès à l’eau et mettre en œuvre un plan d’action. Afin de faciliter l’implication des différents acteurs et, parallèlement, de renforcer leur autonomie et capacité d’intervention, des actions de recherche ont été réalisées sur la base d’une approche itérative et flexible. Ainsi, chaque étape a été développée selon un cycle : diagnostic, plan d’action, mise en œuvre et évaluation des actions, et enseignements retenus. L’article insiste sur la nécessité de créer et de faciliter le fonctionnement d’une plate-forme multi-acteurs et d’un comité de suivi afin de garantir l’implication des acteurs dans la démarche et d’initier un groupe de réflexion parmi les participants. En fonction de la question de recherche posée et de son échelle physique et organisationnelle, il met en avant l’utilité d’analyser les résultats des diagnostics participatifs et multidisciplinaires via les outils de modélisation et de représentation cartographique géo-référencée, afin de faciliter l’apprentissage collectif, la négociation et l’innovation technique et institutionnelle. Enfin, en se référant à l’évaluation de l’évolution de l’association d’irrigants dont la création a été un résultat du projet, il discute les étapes clés qui ont contribué au succès de la méthodologie développée.