Pathogen Incursions - Integrating Technical Expertise in a Socio-Political Context

The incursion of a plant pathogen into a new geographic area initiates a series of decisions about appropriate control or eradication efforts. Incomplete, erroneous, and/or selective information may be used by diverse stakeholders to support individual goals and positions on how an incursion should...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPlant disease Vol. 104; no. 12; p. 3097
Main Authors Evans, Katherine J, Scott, Jason B, Barry, Karen M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.12.2020
Subjects
Basidiomycota
Humans
Professional Competence
politics
rust
biosecurity
extension
social
learning
risk
uncertainty
stakeholder
incursion
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Summary:The incursion of a plant pathogen into a new geographic area initiates a series of decisions about appropriate control or eradication efforts. Incomplete, erroneous, and/or selective information may be used by diverse stakeholders to support individual goals and positions on how an incursion should be managed. We discuss the complex social, political, and technical factors that shape a biosecurity response prior to reviewing information needs and common stakeholder misunderstandings. Selected examples focus on the rust fungi (order Pucciniales). We then explore how plant pathologists, as technical experts, can interact with biosecurity stakeholders to build empathy and understanding that in turn allows a shift from being a distant subject matter expert to an active participant helping to structure problems and shape knowledge flows for better outcomes.
ISSN:0191-2917
DOI:10.1094/PDIS-04-20-0812-FE