Approaches to participation and knowledge equity in agricultural climate impacts modelling: a systematic literature review

The importance of participation and co-development in the study of climate change impacts and adaptations, and in the production of climate services is widely acknowledged. There is a lot to be learnt from current attempts to achieve participatory modelling in climate impacts science. In this systematic review of climate impacts in agriculture research, we map out how participation is typically achieved, with whom and at what stages of the modelling process. We also look at the extent to which challenges and issues around inclusion and marginalisation are encountered and critically reflected on within this literature. We reflect on conventional and best practices and reveal areas in which there is currently insufficient attention given in order to encourage a more critical reflection on the design and implementation of participatory modelling. We argue that there is a current pre-occupation within participatory climate impacts modelling literature on instrumental reasons for including stakeholders and on technical barriers to this inclusion. Limited attention is currently paid to the potential transformative and emancipatory nature of participation in climate impacts modelling and there is a need for more critical reflection on the knowledge politics and power dynamics that act to limit equitable participation in such research.