Moving from Theory to Practice: A Framework for Green Economy Project Implementation

Abstract

Currently, green economy literature lacks practical techniques and tools to inform implementation in specific sectors, including agriculture. There is need for practical, hands-on materials to provide clear guidance on green economy implementation. Operationalising the green economy requires contextual information that builds a broad understanding of what the concept entails; and operational information that provides process-level guidance on how to actually run a project. Contextual understanding enables informed application of the concept to any project situation; while process-level information is critical for minimising doubts in project implementation. Implementation entails integrating and acting on diverse factors, including green economy principles, sector-specific issues, local development issues, and global concerns. Integrating these different factors in a systematic way to ensure that projects meet agricultural and green economy imperatives is challenging. This chapter presents a green economy project implementation framework which integrates theoretical aspects of a green economy presented in Chaps. 1–3 of this book, with practical aspects presented in Chap. 4. The framework includes a process for consolidating all the issues that are relevant to a project into a number of manageable considerations; and a methodical process for applying these considerations in a way that i ntegrates agricultural objectives and green economy principles.