Sustainable Co-Production:
stakeholders and knowledgeholders
“Tobacco as sustainable production platformof the natural biopolymer cyanophycinas co-product to oil and protein”
ERA CoBioTech Call 1 as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No [722361]
https://www.indear.com/en/
(COORDINATOR)
https://weblog.wur.nl
https://www.uni-rostock.de
sunchem http://www.sunchem.nl/
https://www.leuphana.de
Consortium Members
University of Lüneburg
Ursula Weisenfeld
Antoniya Hauerwaas
Cristina Blohm
1. The project
2. Our tasks
3. Challenges
4. Insights
5. Conclusion
“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of
the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-
product to oil and protein”
Agenda
Combines plant and industrial biotechnology in order to:
1. increase the value of commercially grown
tobacco with products that can sustainably
substitute fossil raw materials,
2. establish a new economically feasible
production system for the biopolymer
cyanophycin (CGP) as a by-product of tobacco
without relevant additional costs.
“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of
the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-
product to oil and protein”The project (1)
...has a specific goal: introducing CGP into tobacco plant
...and specific sub-goals:
Production in commercial varieties with high seed yield,
purification: Uni Rostock
CGP application: WFBR Wageningen
Field trials: INDEAR, Rosario
Cultivation of CGP producing nicotine-free tobacco:
sunchem, Italy
Economic feasability, acceptance: WU Wageningen
Societal issues, communication: Leuphana, Lüneburg
“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of
the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-
product to oil and protein”The project (2)
...would support sustainability by
replacing fossil fuel in selected applications,
supporting local economy,
introducing new market opportunities.
“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of
the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-
product to oil and protein”The project (3)
Communication,
integration of stakeholders/knowledgeholders,
exploring context
Here: stakeholders/knowledgeholders
interviews, discussions & networking with focus
groups (our intentions: to talk to small farmers,
NGOs, regulators etc.)
“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of
the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-
product to oil and protein”
Our tasks
1. Delays in field studies
2. Re-Orientation of Argentinian partner
3. Change of original plan to visit Argentina in
December 2019; new planned date March 2020,
needed to be postponed because of the pandemic.
“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of
the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-
product to oil and protein”Challenges
Insights
Identification of key stakeholders
• Argentina: Farmers, State, Science, NGOs, Industries, Media, …
• Europe: potential consumers
Exploring stakeholders‘ interests and concerns
• Desk research
• Interviews, discussions
Ongoing communication with stakeholders
Consumers‘ perceptions in Europe: consumer choice analysis
The Research with Stakeholders in Argentina
concerns and views of the relevant stakeholders
interests and acceptance patterns of the various
stakeholders in the technology and what advantages and
disadvantages they associate with it
Methods (1)
Open Interview phase:
Qualitative ethnographic interviews in Rio-de-la-Plata-
Spanish
Conduct interviews with respect, cultural sensitivity,
great attention and openness
To build a trustworthy (non-asymmetrical) interview
situation
Emic perspective (personal or culture-specific
construction of reality)
Serendipity
Guideline interview phase:
semi-standardized guideline interviews
Guide as stimulus for a more structured survey
To identify the various acceptance patterns of stakeholders
To achieve comparability with the other Stakeholder
interviews
Methods (2)
Impact of the Corona Pandemic
Changes in the methodological approach
From interviewing in person to interviewing by
telephone
No face to face contact
impossibility to create a trustworthy atmosphere
Rejection of interview requests
Telephone interviews only possible with a few
stakeholders
Preliminary results
Perspective on the system Type of knowledge & task
Geographic proximity
Dimensions of stakeholderengagement
Type of knowledge & task
Geographic proximity
Socialscientists
Natural
scientists
Farmers
Localgovernm
.
National governm
.
consumers
Perspective on the system
Activists
companies
Thank You!
