Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
focuses on the multifunctional nature of the ideal transition and the need for
multifunctionality to be acknowledged by public policies, as well as in the recognition of
the range of actors involved in decision-making and management. The conditions required
for these new concepts to spread are 'reshaped relations' between farming and the wider
public, based on the attractiveness of rural areas, the trend for 'going local' (for buying
locally produced goods), and for farming to be reintegrated into the local community.
Multifunctionality was also seen as a central concept for farming and rural areas, with
integrated actors and strategies.
Policy and institutional arrangements were those conditions that must be established at
the macro level which frame the activities to be developed in rural areas. These
arrangements correspond to the different sectors and strategies transferred into activities
and legislation at different scales. For example, targeted rural investment and changing
farmer mind-sets regarding the involvement of local communities were needed in order to
gain Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) funding.
It was felt that these
arrangements are best achieved through coherent policy-making, regulation, funding,
institutions, and integrating understanding of, and prioritizing, global policy issues.
Although the 'desirable' futures showed remarkable similarities across the study
regions, the wide range of actions suggested indicates the importance of contextualized
intervention and action, adapted to the characteristics and needs of each region. In such a
diversified rural Europe, this outcome could be anticipated, yet it is still striking,
nonetheless. The margin for flexible regulations and tailor-made solutions is increasingly
small, constrained as it is by international agreements and European policy making,
together with the growing globalization of markets and models. The results show that the
opposite is considered necessary; that in fact, specific solutions and combined actions are
required for sustainable pathways.
The way it worked: transdisciplinarity in participatory approaches
The utilization of the same step-by-step methodology across seven regions makes it
possible to assess the key points of success and failure of the approach and relate them to
the context of application.
According to the evaluation by participants at each step of the process, the reasons
behind participants' interest in the project vary between tangible (e.g. to facilitate changes
in policies, management actions) and intangible aspects (e.g. to meet other people, work
with scientists). Even participants with experience of participatory projects valued the
networking potential of this project. Conversely, several participants, including the
researchers, expressed worries about achieving tangible results from the project.
This point leads to a relevant question regarding the motivations for transdisciplinary
work, as well as the perspectives of those who promote it. Despite the fact that tangible
results are the ultimate goal (e.g. policy development) such outputs do not only depend on
the transdisciplinary process. This misunderstanding can contribute to problems which are
well documented in the stakeholder participation literature, such as discredit and fatigue
(Reed, 2008). As shown by several different authors, a transdisciplinary process requires
the commitment of all participants, and hence it must be coupled with sharing
responsibilities and empowerment of all participants (Brandt
et al.
, 2013).
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