Introduction - Transition Pathways towards Sustainability in Agriculture: Case Studies from Europe - page 3

Sustainability in agriculture
Sustainability challenges in European agriculture: recession, outmigration, global
competition
The definition of sustainable agriculture - and indeed whether this is a meaningful goal - is
highly contested in the literature on agriculture and rural development (Robinson, 2008).
However, it is widely agreed that increasing the sustainability of agricultural systems is a
necessary and important objective (Pretty, 2002). Increasing the sustainability of agriculture
and agricultural systems is a long standing goal of European agricultural policy (Marsden,
2003; Wilson, 2007; Robinson, 2008). The sustainability of European agriculture can be
broadly conceptualized along three main processes: economic, environmental and social.
These three processes provide an important conceptual basis for the framing of the
arguments developed in this topic.
At a time of global recession, issues surrounding the economic sustainability of
European agriculture have yet again come to the fore. The post-2007 recession has
exacerbated economic problems faced by almost all European countries, in particular by
amplifying the widening income gap between rural and urban areas, by further
marginalizing non-globalized farming areas in uplands or 'remote' parts of Europe, and by
reducing opportunities for on-farm multifunctional activities such as farm tourism or
specialist food sales (Wilson, 2010). With its rapid onset and resulting impact on the
availability of funds provided by banks and lending institutions, the economic recession can
be conceptualized as a sudden shock, in that it has catapulted many agricultural systems
towards lower sustainability in a relatively short time span. However, the most important
aspects of the recession have been the ripple effects caused by sudden change s in the
economic climate. In the context of our European case studies, these have included, in
particular, reduced demand for agricultural products and services (i.e. the sale of high-end
organic and/or locality-specific food products), reduced borrowing opportunities for
upgrading or purchasing farm equipment and buildings and, most importantly, reduced
available funds for young farmers wishing to take up farming (e.g. mortgages, finance for
land purchase). The impact of the recession on tourism in European rural areas has been
particularly pronounced, although early evidence suggests a geographically varied picture.
While some regions have reported falling tourist numbers and reduced income for rural
stakeholders, other areas appear to have benefitted from the fact that tighter household
budgets have meant fewer trips abroad, with a concurrent increase in domestic tourism. In
the United Kingdom (UK), areas such as the south-west or Scotland, for example, appear to
have weathered the recession relatively well with regard to tourism figures. Overall, the
recession has increased uncertainty surrounding the day-to-day planning of farm activities,
has reduced incentives for multifunctional endeavours that tend to raise sustainability of
farming systems, and has severely affected rural communities that were already in the
process of 'losing touch' with their agricultural stakeholders. While many of these
processes will not be evident for several years, our case studies will show that many of the
warning signs associated with declining socio-economic capital are already becoming
visible.
The post-2007 global recession has also exacerbated trends towards rural outmigration,
land abandonment (especially in southern Europe, but also in remote upland areas),