A literature review on sustainable lifestyles and recommendations for further research

The report details the inception phase of the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI), initiated by Sida. A scoping assessment involving 142 people from 91 organizations identified significant sectoral fragmentation and a decline in the recognition of agricultural competence within Swedish development cooperation. The document outlines four controversial key issues: agricultural systems for the 21st century, trade and markets, land use conflicts, and food safety and security. To address these, it proposes a network structure featuring six key functions, including facilitating inter-sectoral initiatives and providing policy implementation feedback. The proposed design includes Cluster Groups, a Steering Committee, and a Secretariat, utilizing implementing mechanisms such as Strategic Initiatives and Dialogues on Sustainable Agricultural Development to operationalize the Policy for Global Development (PGD) in Sweden.

• The scoping assessment identified four core areas of controversy among Swedish stakeholders regarding agricultural development: the integration of different farming models (organic vs. conventional, small vs. large scale), the clash between market and aid ideologies in trade, geopolitical conflicts over land use for food versus bioenergy, and the balancing of production benefits against health risks in genetic modification.
• Sweden's agricultural competence base has suffered from neglect as development cooperation shifted from practical agricultural interventions toward more abstract goals like human rights and democratization, leading to a situation where government institutions may not fully appreciate agriculture's role in development.
• Significant sectoral fragmentation exists in Sweden, characterized by institutional and disciplinary boundaries that prevent a systemic understanding of agriculture and limit the ability of government officials to influence work across different sectors.
• While the Policy for Global Development (PGD) aims for coherence, stakeholders believe this goal has not been achieved, noting a lack of implementing guidelines and ambiguous interpretations of what coherence means in practice.
• Stakeholders perceive the policy process in Sweden as selective and exclusionary, with close-knit relationships between certain actors often barring other organizations from participating in meaningful decision-making.
• Swedish agricultural policy is heavily integrated with EU policy, meaning Sweden cannot independently set all its aid priorities and must harmonize assistance through Joint Assistance Strategies (JAS) and international obligations like the Paris Declaration.
• The proposed mission for SIANI is to help implement the Policy for Global Development in Sweden by integrating sectors and institutions and emphasizing agriculture's role in sustainable development.
• SIANI is designed around six key functions: facilitating inter-sectoral initiatives, enabling recognition of competence, addressing controversial questions, supporting practitioner involvement in policy, providing policy implementation feedback, and creating a platform for international stakeholders.

APA

Scott, K., Larsen, R. K., Osbeck, M., King, C., Powell, N., & Virgin, I. (2009). A literature review on sustainable lifestyles and recommendations for further research. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/siani-inception-report.pdf

Chicago

Scott, Kate, Rasmus Klocker Larsen, Maria Osbeck, Christine King, Neil Powell, and Ivar Virgin. A literature review on sustainable lifestyles and recommendations for further research. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2009. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/siani-inception-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Scott |first1=Kate |last2=Larsen |first2=Rasmus Klocker |last3=Osbeck |first3=Maria |last4=King |first4=Christine |last5=Powell |first5=Neil |last6=Virgin |first6=Ivar |title=A literature review on sustainable lifestyles and recommendations for further research |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/siani-inception-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{scott2009literature, author = {Scott, Kate and Larsen, Rasmus Klocker and Osbeck, Maria and King, Christine and Powell, Neil and Virgin, Ivar}, title = {{A literature review on sustainable lifestyles and recommendations for further research}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/siani-inception-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }