Publicerad artikel

How do Stakeholders Perceive the Sustainability and Resilience of EU Farming Systems? Eurochoice, 19(2), 18-27

Författare: Pytrik Reidsma  Miranda Meuwissen  Francesco Accatino  Franziska Appel  Isabel Bardaji  Isabeau Coopmans  Camelia Gavrilescu  Florian Heinrich  Vitaliy Krupin  Gordana Manevska-Tasevska  Mariya Peneva  Jens Rommel  Simone Severini  Bárbara Soriano  Julie Urquhart  Katarzyna Zawalinska  Wim Paas 

An increasing variety of stresses and shocks provides challenges and opportunities for EU farming systems. This article presents findings of a participatory assessment on the sustainability and resilience of eleven EU farming systems, to inform the design of adequate and relevant strategies and policies. According to stakeholders that participated in workshops, the main functions of farming systems are related to food production, economic viability and maintenance of natural resources. Performance of farming systems assessed with regard to these and five other functions was perceived to be moderate. Past strategies were often geared towards making the system more profitable, and to a lesser extent towards coupling production with local and natural resources, social self-organisation, enhancing functional diversity, and facilitating infrastructure for innovation. Overall, the resilience of the studied farming systems was perceived as low to moderate, with robustness and adaptability often dominant over transformability. To allow for transformability, being reasonably profitable and having access to infrastructure for innovation were viewed as essential. To improve sustainability and resilience of EU farming systems, responses to short-term processes should better consider long-term processes. Technological innovation is required, but it should be accompanied with structural, social, agro-ecological and institutional changes.

Författare:

Pytrik Reidsma

Miranda Meuwissen

Francesco Accatino

Franziska Appel

Isabel Bardaji

Isabeau Coopmans

Camelia Gavrilescu

Florian Heinrich

Vitaliy Krupin


Gordana Manevska-Tasevska

Mariya Peneva

Jens Rommel

Simone Severini

Bárbara Soriano

Julie Urquhart

Katarzyna Zawalinska

Wim Paas