Five pillars for stakeholder analyses in sustainability transformations: The global case of phosphorus

Christopher Lyon; Dana Cordell; Brent Jacobs; Julia Martin-Ortega; Rachel Marshall; Miller Alonso Camargo-Valero; Erin Sherry

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2020.02.019

Five pillars for stakeholder analyses in sustainability transformations: The global case of phosphorus

Environ Sci Policy. 2020 May:107:80-89. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.02.019.

Authors

Christopher Lyon¹, Dana Cordell², Brent Jacobs², Julia Martin-Ortega¹, Rachel Marshall³, Miller Alonso Camargo-Valero⁴, Erin Sherry⁵

Affiliations

¹ Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT UK.
² Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway NSW, 2007, Australia.
³ Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ UK.
⁴ BioResource Systems Research Group, School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
⁵ Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT9 5PQ, UK.

Abstract

Phosphorus is a critical agricultural nutrient and a major pollutant in waterbodies due to inefficient use. In the form of rock phosphate it is a finite global commodity vulnerable to price shocks and sourcing challenges. Transforming toward sustainable phosphorus management involves local to global stakeholders. Conventional readings of stakeholders may not reflect system complexity leaving it difficult to see stakeholder roles in transformations. We attempt to remedy this issue with a novel stakeholder analysis method based on five qualitative pillars: stakeholder agency, system roles, power and influence, alignment to the problem, and transformational potential. We argue that our approach suits case studies of individual stakeholders, stakeholder groups, and organisations with relationships to sustainability challenges.

Keywords: Agriculture; Food security; Food systems; Natural resources; Phosphorus; Stakeholders; Sustainability; Transformations; Water.