<p>We started by using the Value-Sensitive Design (VSD) approach. [1] We chose this approach because it helped us <strong>to identify our project in relationship to problems and values and build a discourse around what these values mean between team members</strong> and stakeholders, and how to carry out a responsible approach. [1]This entailed thoroughly anticipating both positive and negative impacts of our project and thinking of security or ethical, social and legal problems created by its potential application. </p>
<p>We started by using the Value-Sensitive Design (VSD) approach. [1] We chose this approach because it helped us <strong>to identify our project in relationship to problems and values and build a discourse around what these values mean between team members</strong> and stakeholders, and how to carry out a responsible approach. [1]This entailed thoroughly anticipating both positive and negative impacts of our project and thinking of security or ethical, social and legal problems created by its potential application. </p>
<p>The steps of our HP and Integrated HP approach, based on the VSD analysis, is shown in Figure 1. The VSD consists of three main phases namely conceptual, empirical and technical part. We applied these stages in our HP work. In the conceptual part we assessed who are the stakeholders impacted by our idea and what values are at relevance. This way, we gained a better understanding of whom to engage with and what questions we wanted to ask The empirical part consisted of reaching out to some of these stakeholders with different backgrounds, and to experts that could help us think about the different fields of impacts mentioned before. During the technical part we integrated all gathered information from the conceptual and empirical parts to minimise potential risks associated with our project and to come up with alternative approaches. This also meant that we had to make compromises between conflicting design choices. </p>
<p>The steps of our HP and Integrated HP approach, based on the VSD analysis, is shown in Figure 1. The VSD consists of three main phases namely conceptual, empirical and technical part. We applied these stages in our HP work. In the conceptual part we assessed who are the stakeholders impacted by our idea and what values are at relevance. This way, we gained a better understanding of whom to engage with and what questions we wanted to ask The empirical part consisted of reaching out to some of these stakeholders with different backgrounds, and to experts that could help us think about the different fields of impacts mentioned before. During the technical part we integrated all gathered information from the conceptual and empirical parts to minimise potential risks associated with our project and to come up with alternative approaches. This also meant that we had to make compromises between conflicting design choices. </p>
<p>As we learned from the conversations with different stakeholders, defining to what problem our idea serves as a solution is very important from the aspect of responsible innovation. It was also the first step of our VSD analysis. This way we can emphasise the benefits and better communicate it to different stakeholders but also identify potential risks.</p>
<p>As we learned from the conversations with different stakeholders, defining to what problem our idea serves as a solution is very important from the aspect of responsible innovation. It was also the first step of our VSD analysis. This way we can emphasise the benefits and better communicate it to different stakeholders but also identify potential risks.</p>
<p>We are a team from the Netherlands and even though many of us are international students, we care about the environment we live in. In the Netherlands, pollution from reactive nitrogen deposition is a major problem and immediate action is needed in the short and long term to restore nature and allow new economic activities to be pursued.[2] We felt an obligation to find a solution that could help local people and the agricultural sector, a driving sector of the Netherlands.[3] A sustainable solution for agriculture is not only important locally but globally as well. There is growing global food demand by rising populations where agricultural productivity must be doubled by 2050 to feed the world.[4] However, sustainability in agriculture is already a problem, so the question is <strong>how can we achieve a drastic productivity increase sustainably?</strong></p>
<p>We are a team from the Netherlands and even though many of us are international students, we care about the environment we live in. In the Netherlands, pollution from reactive nitrogen deposition is a major problem and immediate action is needed in the short and long term to restore nature and allow new economic activities to be pursued.[2] We felt an obligation to find a solution that could help local people and the agricultural sector, a driving sector of the Netherlands.[3] A sustainable solution for agriculture is not only important locally but globally as well. There is growing global food demand by rising populations where agricultural productivity must be doubled by 2050 to feed the world.[4] However, sustainability in agriculture is already a problem, so the question is <strong>how can we achieve a drastic productivity increase sustainably?</strong></p>
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<divclass="h"id="three">
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<divclass="h1">Value-Sensitive Design</div>
<divclass="h1">Value-Sensitive Design</div>
<p>As mentioned in the Responsible Innovation section, we used the VSD (Value Sensitive Design) analysis as a tool to guide our design process, ensuring it is both responsible and centered on human values. This approach translates values into technological norms and design requirements. By creating value hierarchies, we make the decision-making process behind our design specifications more transparent, especially to external stakeholders. A value hierarchy (see Figure 2) consists of values—principles that promote the common good, such as freedom and sustainability—and norms, which are the rules for achieving those values. The most relevant norms are end-norms, which can also be viewed as objectives, goals, or constraints.</p>
<p>As mentioned in the Responsible Innovation section, we used the VSD (Value Sensitive Design) analysis as a tool to guide our design process, ensuring it is both responsible and centered on human values. This approach translates values into technological norms and design requirements. By creating value hierarchies, we make the decision-making process behind our design specifications more transparent, especially to external stakeholders. A value hierarchy (see Figure 2) consists of values—principles that promote the common good, such as freedom and sustainability—and norms, which are the rules for achieving those values. The most relevant norms are end-norms, which can also be viewed as objectives, goals, or constraints.</p>
<p><strong>In the conceptual phase (see Our responsible innovation section) of our VSD we thought how our nitrogen fixing plant would contribute to the problem.</strong></p>
<p><strong>In the conceptual phase (see Our responsible innovation section) of our VSD we thought how our nitrogen fixing plant would contribute to the problem.</strong></p>
<p>The engineered plant would require little to no nitrogen fertilizer, which would prevent soil acidification and reduce ammonia production, thereby lowering CO2 emissions. Additionally, there would be minimal or no reactive nitrate leakage into freshwater bodies and coastal regions, helping to protect the environment and biodiversity. Fewer nitrogen oxides would be emitted into the atmosphere, contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>The engineered plant would require little to no nitrogen fertilizer, which would prevent soil acidification and reduce ammonia production, thereby lowering CO2 emissions. Additionally, there would be minimal or no reactive nitrate leakage into freshwater bodies and coastal regions, helping to protect the environment and biodiversity. Fewer nitrogen oxides would be emitted into the atmosphere, contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>The reduced need for fertilizer would lower growing costs globally, especially given the dramatic rise in fertilizer prices in recent years. [7]This impact would be even more significant in countries with lower food security and limited access to mineral nitrogen fertilizers. At the same time, theoretically, crop yields would remain high compared to conventional fertilizer use, allowing for more sustainable food production to meet the demands of a growing population.</p>
<p>The reduced need for fertilizer would lower growing costs globally, especially given the dramatic rise in fertilizer prices in recent years. [7]This impact would be even more significant in countries with lower food security and limited access to mineral nitrogen fertilizers. At the same time, theoretically, crop yields would remain high compared to conventional fertilizer use, allowing for more sustainable food production to meet the demands of a growing population.</p>
<divclass="h2">Actor map</div>
<divclass="h2">Actor map</div>
<p>Stakeholders are all individuals or institutions that have an interest connected to our self-fertilizing plant technology. Below is a power-interest grid with the most important identified stakeholders associated with our project in the Netherlands.</p>
<p>Stakeholders are all individuals or institutions that have an interest connected to our self-fertilizing plant technology. Below is a power-interest grid with the most important identified stakeholders associated with our project in the Netherlands.</p>
<p>The identified/relevant values were food security, accessibility, social/environmental sustainability, safety. The value hierarchy of the two most important values safety and accessibility can be seen in Figure 4 and Figure 5 as an example.</p>
<p>The identified/relevant values were food security, accessibility, social/environmental sustainability, safety. The value hierarchy of the two most important values safety and accessibility can be seen in Figure 4 and Figure 5 as an example.</p>
<p>Safety was found to be an important value for the European Union but also to the Dutch Government and the public. Safety can be divided into environmental and food safety. During our HP work we mostly dived deeper into the question of environmental safety related to our idea. Figure 3 shows how norms such as ‘No risk for the environment derives from the value safety and what are the certain design requirements such as ‘the genetically modified (GM) plant shouldn’t outcompete native species’ to satisfy those norms in our design. We later rediscussed these design requirements and modified them according to the information we gathered from interviews we conducted. Making design choices related to safety were difficult. The design requirements for safety often clashed with the ones derived from accessibility. This is discussed later.</p>
<p>Safety was found to be an important value for the European Union but also to the Dutch Government and the public. Safety can be divided into environmental and food safety. During our HP work we mostly dived deeper into the question of environmental safety related to our idea. Figure 3 shows how norms such as ‘No risk for the environment derives from the value safety and what are the certain design requirements such as ‘the genetically modified (GM) plant shouldn’t outcompete native species’ to satisfy those norms in our design. We later rediscussed these design requirements and modified them according to the information we gathered from interviews we conducted. Making design choices related to safety were difficult. The design requirements for safety often clashed with the ones derived from accessibility. This is discussed later.</p>
<p>Accessibility was an important value identified related to farmers and NGOs. NGOs like Greenpeace argue that the Agro and Seed industries main priority is profit (by patents and seeds that need to be rebought every year) rather than to make their technology and products accessible for all farmers and serve their local needs.[8] The design requirements shown in Figure 4 are interesting ones related to patenting and ownership, but also touching the core of our whole design. Other important questions for farmers are how expensive the GM seeds are. Is it affordable or cheaper compared to the non-GM type that needs fertilizer? Will the farmers have to buy the seeds every year? These questions related to accessibility touch the question of ownership and safety which are discussed in the IHP part.</p>
<p>Accessibility was an important value identified related to farmers and NGOs. NGOs like Greenpeace argue that the Agro and Seed industries main priority is profit (by patents and seeds that need to be rebought every year) rather than to make their technology and products accessible for all farmers and serve their local needs.[8] The design requirements shown in Figure 4 are interesting ones related to patenting and ownership, but also touching the core of our whole design. Other important questions for farmers are how expensive the GM seeds are. Is it affordable or cheaper compared to the non-GM type that needs fertilizer? Will the farmers have to buy the seeds every year? These questions related to accessibility touch the question of ownership and safety which are discussed in the IHP part.</p>
<p>See what design adjustments we made regarding these questions after interviews.</p>
<p>See what design adjustments we made regarding these questions after interviews.</p>
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<divclass="h3">KWS SAAT</div>
<divclass="h3">KWS SAAT</div>
<p>We had the opportunity (with the kind help of TU Delft AgTech Institute) to have a critical discussion with four scientists from KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA about our idea and experimental approach. KWS is an international seed company. We thought it is relevant to talk about the feasibility of our idea and approach with experienced scientist from a company that is relevant to seed development.</p>
<p>We had the opportunity (with the kind help of TU Delft AgTech Institute) to have a critical discussion with four scientists from KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA about our idea and experimental approach. KWS is an international seed company. We thought it is relevant to talk about the feasibility of our idea and approach with experienced scientist from a company that is relevant to seed development.</p>
<p>During our talk with the scientists we discussed additional aspects that are important to test for our idea in the early phases. Therefore, we included additional experiments and approaches for the fusion experiments but also for characterising our uTP peptide. More details can be found on the Future wet-lab experiments page. Additionally, they raised their concerns about the feasibility of our idea. They highlighted that it is important to think of alternative approaches and how our idea could compliment already existing solutions for improving nitrogen-fixation in plants. Reflecting to this we discuss these possibilities under Alternative approaches. </p>
<p>During our talk with the scientists we discussed additional aspects that are important to test for our idea in the early phases. Therefore, we included additional experiments and approaches for the fusion experiments but also for characterising our uTP peptide. More details can be found on the Future wet-lab experiments page. Additionally, they raised their concerns about the feasibility of our idea. They highlighted that it is important to think of alternative approaches and how our idea could compliment already existing solutions for improving nitrogen-fixation in plants. Reflecting to this we discuss these possibilities under Alternative approaches. </p>
<p>Martijn Schaap is a Professor at Freie Universitaet Berlin on Air Quality and Principal Scientist at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research ( TNO ). TNO is an independent research organisation that aims to create innovations while collaborating closely with governments, universities and the private sector. [TNO website]</p>
<p>Martijn Schaap is a Professor at Freie Universitaet Berlin on Air Quality and Principal Scientist at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research ( TNO ). TNO is an independent research organisation that aims to create innovations while collaborating closely with governments, universities and the private sector. [TNO website]</p>
<p>Since Martijn is an expert on reactive nitrogen emissions and deposition we could learn more about the situation in the Netherlands, what are the main sources of ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions. Since he is a researcher at TNO which is a Dutch organisation, we learned how the Dutch government approaches the problem. He also gave his opinion on ideas that could help solve the problem, these are also discussed in the alternative approaches part.
<p>Since Martijn is an expert on reactive nitrogen emissions and deposition we could learn more about the situation in the Netherlands, what are the main sources of ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions. Since he is a researcher at TNO which is a Dutch organisation, we learned how the Dutch government approaches the problem. He also gave his opinion on ideas that could help solve the problem, these are also discussed in the alternative approaches part.
<p>We wanted to implement the notion of responsible innovation during our project. That is why we contacted dr. Zoë Robaey who is currently an Assistant Professor in Ethics of Technology at the Philosophy Group of Wageningen University. Her work investigates moral responsibility under conditions of uncertainty in the field of biotechnology in agriculture.
<p>We wanted to implement the notion of responsible innovation during our project. That is why we contacted dr. Zoë Robaey who is currently an Assistant Professor in Ethics of Technology at the Philosophy Group of Wageningen University. Her work investigates moral responsibility under conditions of uncertainty in the field of biotechnology in agriculture.
</p>
</p>
<p>We learned that it is not enough to have a potentially revolutionary idea that we think could do good. It is a fundamental part of being responsible that we think of how our idea or product will be used in society, who will own it, what exact problems our innovation will solve and what consequences can be anticipated to different choices. We developed our idea and thought of its application with this mindset all along.</p>
<p>We learned that it is not enough to have a potentially revolutionary idea that we think could do good. It is a fundamental part of being responsible that we think of how our idea or product will be used in society, who will own it, what exact problems our innovation will solve and what consequences can be anticipated to different choices. We developed our idea and thought of its application with this mindset all along.</p>
<p>As a result of our discussion, we came up with different types of responsible ownership models that could be applied to our project and what benefits each could have. Also, we thought more about our final product, do we want to create GM seeds in the end with specific crops, or just have a ‘nitrogen-fixing traits’ that could be used as a technology by others. You can see more on the ownership page and Entrepreneurship page about how we imagine our final idea.</p>
<p>As a result of our discussion, we came up with different types of responsible ownership models that could be applied to our project and what benefits each could have. Also, we thought more about our final product, do we want to create GM seeds in the end with specific crops, or just have a ‘nitrogen-fixing traits’ that could be used as a technology by others. You can see more on the ownership page and Entrepreneurship page about how we imagine our final idea.</p>
<divclass="h3">National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)</div>
<divclass="h3">National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)</div>
<p>During our interview with the RIVM GMO office, we learned about environmental risk assessment and what are the steps for commercializing a GM crop in the EU and the Netherlands. Our main question was what the relevant aspects in the assessment of field trials are and how we can mitigate potential risks connected to our GM plant. We learned that risks and containment measures depend on the characteristics of the GMO and the environment it is grown in and are therefore case specific. So, choosing a plant is essential for specific details. A bioinformatics blasting module was discussed to assess safety better.
<p>During our interview with the RIVM GMO office, we learned about environmental risk assessment and what are the steps for commercializing a GM crop in the EU and the Netherlands. Our main question was what the relevant aspects in the assessment of field trials are and how we can mitigate potential risks connected to our GM plant. We learned that risks and containment measures depend on the characteristics of the GMO and the environment it is grown in and are therefore case specific. So, choosing a plant is essential for specific details. A bioinformatics blasting module was discussed to assess safety better.
<p>We followed up our RIVM discussion about environmental safety by reaching out to Max van Hooren to get more specific information on safety related to our design. He is a member of the scientific secretariat of The Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification (COGEM). COGEM is an advisory board that provides advice on work involving genetically modified organisms. </p>
<p>We followed up our RIVM discussion about environmental safety by reaching out to Max van Hooren to get more specific information on safety related to our design. He is a member of the scientific secretariat of The Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification (COGEM). COGEM is an advisory board that provides advice on work involving genetically modified organisms. </p>
<p>We discussed the environmental safety aspects in more detail such as competitive advantage and genes spreading via seeds. Also, important question was, what design would be best; to genetically engineer the host or not or the question of not making the organelle viable on its own.</p>
<p>We discussed the environmental safety aspects in more detail such as competitive advantage and genes spreading via seeds. Also, important question was, what design would be best; to genetically engineer the host or not or the question of not making the organelle viable on its own.</p>
<p>Amrit Nanda is the Executive Manager of Plants for the Future ETP which is a Non-profit membership-based organization bringing together academia, industry and farming communities to promote the flow of innovation to market in the plant sector. She helped us learn more about GMO legislation in Europe and what possible changes could be proposed to promote the implementation of synthetic biology ideas like ours. We also talked about how important science communication is for the acceptance of GMOs in the public.</p>
<p>Amrit Nanda is the Executive Manager of Plants for the Future ETP which is a Non-profit membership-based organization bringing together academia, industry and farming communities to promote the flow of innovation to market in the plant sector. She helped us learn more about GMO legislation in Europe and what possible changes could be proposed to promote the implementation of synthetic biology ideas like ours. We also talked about how important science communication is for the acceptance of GMOs in the public.</p>
<p>This helped us improve how we present our project to the public during different public activities. We talked about the difference in GMO legislation approach between Europe and other countries. Resulting, we discuss a potential approach how in Europe the application of GM crops could be looked at. </p>
<p>This helped us improve how we present our project to the public during different public activities. We talked about the difference in GMO legislation approach between Europe and other countries. Resulting, we discuss a potential approach how in Europe the application of GM crops could be looked at. </p>
<p>Disclaimer! Statements made during this interview are the personal opinions of Amrit Nanda and do not represent the positions of Plants for the Future or its members.</p>
<p>Disclaimer! Statements made during this interview are the personal opinions of Amrit Nanda and do not represent the positions of Plants for the Future or its members.</p>
