IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i16p9314-d617518.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Engaging with Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a Bottom-Up Approach for the Purpose of Sustainability: Victorian Farmers Market Association, Melbourne Australia

Author

Listed:
  • Stéphanie Camaréna

    (School of Design, RMIT University, 124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
    Food Agility CRC Ltd., 81 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia)

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting all aspects of food systems, including production, food processing, distribution, and consumption. AI, if implemented ethically for sustainability, can enhance biodiversity, conserve water and energy resources, provide land-related services, power smart cities, and help mitigate climate change. However, there are significant issues in using AI to transition to sustainable food systems. AI’s own carbon footprint could cancel out any sustainability benefits that it creates. Additionally, the technology could further entrench inequalities between and within countries, and bias against minorities or less powerful groups. This paper draws on findings from a study of the Victorian Farmers’ Markets Association (VFMA) that investigated the complexity of designing AI tools to enhance sustainability and resilience for the benefit of the organisation and its members. Codesign workshops, both synchronous and asynchronous, semi-structured interviews, and design innovation methods led the VFMA to experiment with an AI tool to link sustainable soil practices, nutrient rich produce, and human health. The analysis shows that the codesign process and an agile approach created a co-learning environment where sustainability and ethical questions could be considered iteratively within transdisciplinary engagement. The bottom-up approach developed through this study supports organisations who want to engage with AI while reinforcing fairness, transparency, and sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphanie Camaréna, 2021. "Engaging with Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a Bottom-Up Approach for the Purpose of Sustainability: Victorian Farmers Market Association, Melbourne Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-28, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:9314-:d:617518
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9314/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9314/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chiara Battistoni & Carolina Giraldo Nohra & Silvia Barbero, 2019. "A Systemic Design Method to Approach Future Complex Scenarios and Research Towards Sustainability: A Holistic Diagnosis Tool," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-30, August.
    2. Dorninger, Christian & Abson, David J. & Apetrei, Cristina I. & Derwort, Pim & Ives, Christopher D. & Klaniecki, Kathleen & Lam, David P.M. & Langsenlehner, Maria & Riechers, Maraja & Spittler, Nathal, 2020. "Leverage points for sustainability transformation: a review on interventions in food and energy systems," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    3. Ulrich Lichtenthaler, 2020. "Agile Innovation: The Complementarity of Design Thinking and Lean Startup," International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology (IJSSMET), IGI Global, vol. 11(1), pages 157-167, January.
    4. Max-Neef, Manfred A., 2005. "Foundations of transdisciplinarity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 5-16, April.
    5. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    6. W. Edwards Deming, 2000. "Out of the Crisis," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262541157, December.
    7. Reisach, Ulrike, 2021. "The responsibility of social media in times of societal and political manipulation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 291(3), pages 906-917.
    8. Ricardo Vinuesa & Hossein Azizpour & Iolanda Leite & Madeline Balaam & Virginia Dignum & Sami Domisch & Anna Felländer & Simone Daniela Langhans & Max Tegmark & Francesco Fuso Nerini, 2020. "The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    9. Assunta Di Vaio & Flavio Boccia & Loris Landriani & Rosa Palladino, 2020. "Artificial Intelligence in the Agri-Food System: Rethinking Sustainable Business Models in the COVID-19 Scenario," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-12, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wilson, Christopher & van der Velden, Maja, 2022. "Sustainable AI: An integrated model to guide public sector decision-making," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Jaros³aw Brodny & Magdalena Tutak, 2023. "The level of implementing sustainable development goal "Industry, innovation and infrastructure" of Agenda 2030 in the European Union countries: Application of MCDM methods," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 14(1), pages 47-102, March.
    3. Basma Hamrouni & Abdelhabib Bourouis & Ahmed Korichi & Mohsen Brahmi, 2021. "Explainable Ontology-Based Intelligent Decision Support System for Business Model Design and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-28, September.
    4. Brennan, Michael & Rondón-Sulbarán, Janeet, 2019. "Transdisciplinary research: Exploring impact, knowledge and quality in the early stages of a sustainable development project," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 481-491.
    5. Walter Leal Filho & Peter Yang & João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio & Anabela Marisa Azul & Joshua C. Gellers & Agata Gielczyk & Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis & Valerija Kozlova, 2023. "Deploying digitalisation and artificial intelligence in sustainable development research," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 4957-4988, June.
    6. Solène Guenat & Phil Purnell & Zoe G. Davies & Maximilian Nawrath & Lindsay C. Stringer & Giridhara Rathnaiah Babu & Muniyandi Balasubramanian & Erica E. F. Ballantyne & Bhuvana Kolar Bylappa & Bei Ch, 2022. "Meeting sustainable development goals via robotics and autonomous systems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Ancín, María & Pindado, Emilio & Sánchez, Mercedes, 2022. "New trends in the global digital transformation process of the agri-food sector: An exploratory study based on Twitter," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    8. D’Amico, Gaspare & Arbolino, Roberta & Shi, Lei & Yigitcanlar, Tan & Ioppolo, Giuseppe, 2022. "Digitalisation driven urban metabolism circularity: A review and analysis of circular city initiatives," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    9. Sergio Alonso & Rosana Montes & Daniel Molina & Iván Palomares & Eugenio Martínez-Cámara & Manuel Chiachio & Juan Chiachio & Francisco J. Melero & Pablo García-Moral & Bárbara Fernández & Cristina Mor, 2021. "Ordering Artificial Intelligence Based Recommendations to Tackle the SDGs with a Decision-Making Model Based on Surveys," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-27, May.
    10. Berigel, Muhammet & Boztaş, Gizem Dilan & Rocca, Antonella & Neagu, Gabriela, 2024. "Using machine learning for NEETs and sustainability studies: Determining best machine learning algorithms," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    11. Angélica Pigola & Priscila Rezende da Costa & Luísa Cagica Carvalho & Luciano Ferreira da Silva & Cláudia Terezinha Kniess & Emerson Antonio Maccari, 2021. "Artificial Intelligence-Driven Digital Technologies to the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals: A Perspective from Brazil and Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-28, December.
    12. Cor A. Schipper & Gerben G.J. Dekker & Beer de Visser & Bas Bolman & Quirijn Lodder, 2021. "Characterization of SDGs towards Coastal Management: Sustainability Performance and Cross-Linking Consequences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-33, February.
    13. Paulina Schiappacasse & Bernhard Müller & Le Thuy Linh, 2019. "Towards Responsible Aggregate Mining in Vietnam," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-15, August.
    14. Pina Puntillo, 2023. "Circular economy business models: Towards achieving sustainable development goals in the waste management sector—Empirical evidence and theoretical implications," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 941-954, March.
    15. Schlör, Holger & Venghaus, Sandra & Hake, Jürgen-Friedrich, 2018. "The FEW-Nexus city index – Measuring urban resilience," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 382-392.
    16. Jean-Louis Combes & Alexandru Minea & Pegdéwendé Nestor Sawadogo, 2019. "Assessing the effects of combating illicit financial flows on domestic tax revenue mobilization in developing countries," Post-Print halshs-02315734, HAL.
    17. Iva Gregurec & Martina Tomičić Furjan & Katarina Tomičić-Pupek, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Business Models in SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, January.
    18. Nelson, Ewan & Warren, Peter, 2020. "UK transport decoupling: On track for clean growth in transport?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 39-51.
    19. Ibrahim Ari & Muammer Koc, 2018. "Sustainable Financing for Sustainable Development: Understanding the Interrelations between Public Investment and Sovereign Debt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, October.
    20. R. Ebrahimi & S. Choobchian & H. Farhadian & I. Goli & E. Farmandeh & H. Azadi, 2022. "Investigating the effect of vocational education and training on rural women’s empowerment," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:9314-:d:617518. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.