I. Bezlepkina

Defining assessment projects and scenarios for policy support: Use of ontology in Integrated Assessment and Modelling

Integrated Assessment and Modelling (IAM) provides an interdisciplinary approach to support ex-ante decision-making by combining quantitative models representing different systems and scales into a framework for integrated assessment. Scenarios in IAM are developed in the interaction between scientists and stakeholders to explore possible pathways of future development. As IAM typically combines models from different disciplines, there is a clear need for a consistent definition and implementation of scenarios across models, policy problems and scales. This paper presents such a unified conceptualization for scenario and assessment projects. We demonstrate the use of common ontologies in building this unified conceptualization, e.g. a common ontology on assessment projects and scenarios. The common ontology and the process of ontology engineering are used in a case study, which refers to the development of SEAMLESS-IF, an integrated modelling framework to assess agricultural and environmental policy options as to their contribution to sustainable development. The presented common ontology on assessment projects and scenarios can be reused by IAM consortia and if required, adapted by using the process of ontology engineering as proposed in this paper.

Development and performance of Russian agricultural enterprises, 1990–2001

This article presents an overview of the development of Russian agricultural enterprises in 1990–2001. The multi‐layered structure of agriculture represented by different categories of non‐commercial and commercial producers requires a clear distinction of policies with respect to their targets and end results. The agricultural enterprises maintained their leading role in marketed agricultural production and represent the main focus group among the agricultural producers for policy makers. The article reviews organisational and structural changes to these enterprises in the period studied, and their economic and financial performance. It also examines current policies for resolving the problems in agriculture.

Integrated Assessment Approach

Integrated Assessment (IA) projects are designed to produce practical and interdisciplinary results, thus the final report will differ from that of a traditional research project. The goal of IA is to summarize scientific knowledge in order to build consensus and guide decision making around a particular environmental issue. The emphasis is on collaborative work with stakeholders and analysis of existing data to help clarify the issue, rather than new experiments and data collection. The final report of an IA should: 1) describe the data and methods used, 2) explain the status, trends, causes and impacts of the issue, 3) evaluate practical strategies for addressing the issue, and 4) provide guidance for implementing new strategies.