Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The community was seen as a source of strength and differentiation in the countryside,
and the social dimension appeared to be the driver for at least one vision in the seven
regions considered; it is therefore the most commonly shared ideal for the future.
Furthermore, increased production and economic competitiveness appeared as a goal but
was not given equal importance in every region. In the Czech Republic case, two visions
emphasized social dimensions: 'Agriculture for the countryside', stressed cooperation and
networking amongst farmers, and another 'Lively Countryside', emphasized
multifunctionality and a diversified rural community. Both were centred on the rural
community. The Bulgarian case was an exception, as all three visions aimed for
intensification, modernization and specialization. One vision included elements of quality
of life in rural areas and in all three, neo-productivism was central. This particular focus in
Bulgaria may have several explanations, including the relatively low level of agricultural
modernization in the country, or may reflect the profile of those involved in the process. In
Portugal, the two visions created can be included in two of the groups described above,
although both included the Montado as a central condition for future sustainability.
Montado is the extensive silvo-pastoral land use system characteristic of southern Portugal
and in both visions its maintenance was considered as fundamental. Broadly, the different
characteristics of the regions do not seem to be reflected in clear differences in the type of
visions formulated. Therefore, despite the differentiation of regions across Europe, not least
their variation in the dominance of intensive or extensive agricultural systems, common
visions emerged, although with multiple potential outcomes due to regional specificities.
The pathways
The pathways necessary in order to achieve these visions reveal a much wider diversity of
concerns. The discussion in the final workshop, in each of the regions, resulted in a large
and multiple list of pathways, which can be summarized:
Maintenance or re-emergence of farming activities;
Innovation in farming;
New concepts of farming, farmers and rural areas; and
Overall policy and institutional change.
The maintenance or re-emergence of farming activities means that regardless of the
farming system, there are certain current features considered to be essential to maintain, or
re-activate, the social and economic role of agriculture. It was felt that this could be
achieved through the development and maintenance of farming infrastructure and services,
the economic viability of farming activities, well-planned land and farming succession, and
closer interconnections between farming, policy and research.
Innovation in farming was considered achievable through innovative mind-sets and
practices, and through the use of new techniques and technologies, practices and network
connections; all of which were considered necessary for the future sustainability of
agriculture and for other land-based activities.
'New concepts' referred to the need to acknowledge the shift away from production as
the sole driver of land use and rural dynamics towards a complex interplay of other drivers,
such as countryside consumption, or landscape and nature conservation. This pathway
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