Dr Julius Kotir

Adjunct Senior Fellow

School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability

j.kotir@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Dr Julius Kotir is a Senior Scientist with the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and also an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability. His academic and research interest is focused on understanding and managing the complex and long-term sustainability of coupled socio-economic-environmental systems. A particular interest is how to use this understanding to design decision support tools in the form of models to evaluate the impact of different options under an uncertain global future. His work takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining participatory co-design and field-based methods with systems thinking tools and system dynamics modelling to develop qualitative and quantitative simulation models that can support decision making. Julius has is currently using these tools and methods to address a wide range of complex agri-environmental problems including international and rural development issues, food security, economics of farming systems, agrifood and digital twin supply chains, climate-smart agriculture, water resources management, farmer adoption of new practices, and agribusiness policy design and analysis.

Publications

Book Chapter (1)

Journal Articles (15)

Thesis (1)

Book Chapter

H. Kotir, Julius (2021). Managing and sustaining the coupled water-land-food systems in the context of global change: how qualitative system dynamic modelling can assist in understanding and designing high-leverage interventions. Natural resources management and biological sciences. (pp. 197-217) edited by Edward R. Rhodes and Humood Naser. London, United Kingdom: IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.89125

Journal Articles

Kotir, Julius H., Jagustovic, Renata, Papachristos, George, Zougmore, Robert B., Kessler, Aad, Reynolds, Martin, Ouedraog, Mathieu, Ritsema, Coen J., Aziz, Ammar Abdul and Johnstone, Ron (2024). Field experiences and lessons learned from applying participatory system dynamics modelling to sustainable water and agri-food systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 434 140042, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140042

Kotir, Julius H., Bell, Lindsay W., Kirkegaard, John A., Whish, Jeremy and Aikins, Kojo Atta (2022). Labour demand – the forgotten input influencing the execution and adoptability of alternative cropping systems in Eastern Australia. Agricultural Systems, 203 103516, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.agsy.2022.103516

Ali, Muhammad Fadzli, Sulong, Siti Hawa, Julius, Kotir, Smith, Carl and Aziz, Ammar Abdul (2022). Using a participatory system dynamics modelling approach to inform the management of Malaysian rubber production. Agricultural Systems, 202 103491, 103491. doi: 10.1016/j.agsy.2022.103491

Jagustovic, Renata, Papachristos, George, Zougmore, Robert B., Kotir, Julius H., Kessler, Aad, Ouedraogo, Mathieu, Ritsema, Coen J. and Dittmer, Kyle M. (2021). Better before worse trajectories in food systems? An investigation of synergies and trade-offs through climate-smart agriculture and system dynamics. Agricultural Systems, 190 103131. doi: 10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103131

Nyam, Y. S., Kotir, J. H., Jordaan, A. J. and Ogundeji, A. A. (2021). Developing a conceptual model for sustainable water resource management and agricultural development: the case of the Breede River catchment area, South Africa. Environmental Management, 67 (4), 632-647. doi: 10.1007/s00267-020-01399-x

Nyam, Yong S., Kotir, Julius H., Jordaan, Andries J., Ogundeji, Abiodun A., Adetoro, Adetoso A. and Orimoloye, Israel R. (2020). Towards understanding and sustaining natural resource systems through the systems perspective: a systematic evaluation. Sustainability, 12 (23), 9871. doi: 10.3390/su12239871

Nyam, Yong Sebastian, Kotir, Julius H., Jordaan, Andries and Ogundeji, Abiodun Akintunde (2020). Identifying behavioural patterns of coupled water-agriculture systems using system archetypes. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 39 (2), 305-323. doi: 10.1002/sres.2753

Nyam, Y. S., Kotir, J. H., Jordaan, A. J., Ogundeji, A. A. and Turton, A. R. (2020). Drivers of change in sustainable water management and agricultural development in South Africa: a participatory approach. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 6 (4) 62, 1-20. doi: 10.1007/s40899-020-00420-9

Kotir, Julius H. , Bell, Lindsay W., Kirkegaard, John A., Whish, Jeremy D. and Aikins, Kojo A. (2020). Machinery and labour requirements as influenced by diversified farming systems in the Australian northern grain production region. Proceedings, 36 (1). doi: 10.3390/proceedings2019036051

Kotir, Julius H. , Brown, Greg, Marshall, Nadine and Johnstone, Ron (2017). Drivers of change and sustainability in linked social–ecological systems: an analysis in the Volta river basin of Ghana, West Africa. Society and Natural Resources, 30 (10), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/08941920.2017.1290182

Whiley, Dona, Witt, Bradd, Colvin, R. M., Sapiains Arrue, Rodolfo and Kotir, Julius (2017). Enhancing critical thinking skills in first year environmental management students: a tale of curriculum design, application and reflection. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 41 (2), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/03098265.2017.1290590

Kotir, Julius H., Brown, Greg, Marshall, Nadine and Johnstone, Ron (2017). Systemic feedback modelling for sustainable water resources management and agricultural development: an application of participatory modelling approach in the Volta River Basin. Environmental Modelling and Software, 88, 106-118. doi: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.11.015

Kotir, Julius H., Smith, Carl, Brown, Greg, Marshall, Nadine and Johnstone, Ron (2016). A system dynamics simulation model for sustainable water resources management and agricultural development in the Volta River Basin, Ghana. Science of the Total Environment, 573, 444-457. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.081

Kotir, Julius H. (2011). Climate change and variability in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review of current and future trends and impacts on agriculture and food security. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 13 (3), 587-605. doi: 10.1007/s10668-010-9278-0

Kotir, Julius H. and Obeng-Odoom, Franklin (2009). Microfinance and rural household development: A Ghanaian perspective. Journal of Developing Societies, 25 (1), 85-105. doi: 10.1177/0169796X0902500104

Thesis

Kotir, Julius (2017). Systems thinking and modelling for sustainable water resources management and agricultural development in the Volta River Basin, West Africa. PhD Thesis, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2017.757

Areas of research

Agribusiness, development and economics