J.S.C. Wiskerke

On Places Lost and Places Regained: Reflections on the Alternative Food Geography and Sustainable Regional Development

This paper departs from the observation that the industrialization and globalization of the agri-food supply chain has disconnected food from its socio-cultural and physical territorial context. In recent years there is growing recognition of the multitude of problems associated with the prevailing food regime, such as consumers’ mistrust in agro-industrial food, environmental pollution and rising prevalence of obesity and malnutrition. This paper outlines and illustrates the emergence of an alternative paradigm as a response the problems associated with the agro-industrial logic. It shows how a more integrated and territorial agri-food approach can support sustainable regional development.

Managing technical-institutional design processes: some strategic lessons from environmental co-operatives in the Netherlands

In this paper the case of the environmental co-operatives VEL and VANLA is reviewed in terms of coevolving technical and institutional change and the strategic lessons to be learned for a pro-active management of such complex technical-institutional design processes. Facing the many-sided crisis in agriculture the two co-operatives developed a radically different approach. The aim is to re-ground agriculture in local agro-ecological processes following the approach of lowering external inputs (i.e., material inputs, capital and labour). The results are promising: a system-innovation is emerging out of a wide range of connected novel operational practices (i.e., novelties) including technical as well as institutional aspects. The findings of VEL and VANLA stress once again the need for a simultaneous redesign of technical and institutional change to facilitate a transition towards a more sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, we conclude that this transition cannot but be rooted in promising, innovative practices that embody the potential to challenge conventional scientific approaches to sustainable agricultural development. More space should be created for ‘smart’ experimentation exploring and evaluating the potentialities of different transition paths.

Environmental co-operatives as a new mode of rural governance

The modernization paradigm, which for many decades dominated agricultural practices, policies and science, is gradually being replaced by a rural development paradigm. The emerging rural development paradigm calls, amongst other things, for a new approach to policy-making, steering and control, in other words, for a new approach to rural governance. The need for new forms of rural governance is embedded in current political and scientific debates on shifts in multi-level governance that occur in a variety of socio-economic domains. Within the domain of agriculture and rural development, self-organization and self-regulation emerge as a new mode of rural governance. Environmental co-operatives are a promising expression of this, They are characterized by new institutional relations between state agencies and the agricultural community, new social networks of trust at local level and the re-embedding of farming in its local social and ecological context. In the Frisian Woodlands, the environmental co-operatives VEL and VANLA succeeded in building new local social networks of trust and in re-integrating dairy farming, nature conservation and landscape management. However, further development towards self-regulation is hampered by a lack of institutional support, particularly from national government authorities.

On Promising Niches and Constraining Sociotechnical Regimes: The Case of Dutch Wheat and Bread

Growing concerns about the consequences of large scale production systems and, subsequently, the growing public demand for changing the dominant mode of agricultural production have become important issues on the European political agenda. In recent years the number of new or alternative food supply chains and networks that incorporate claims of sustainability and quality has grown impressively. However, compared to conventional food supply chains and networks these alternative chains and networks remain rather small. By using the example of Dutch wheat and bread, in this paper I demonstrate that the prevailing sociotechnical regime constrains the growth of new promising sustainable food supply chains and networks. Constraints are both of a technical and an institutional nature. Strategic niche management is proposed as a promising design tool to overcome some of the encountered constraints, with the aim of contributing to a transition towards a more sustainable sociotechnical regime.

Sustainable food planning: evolving theory and practice

Municipal markets have been recognised by both government and industry as valuable social spaces which can address growing public health issues in urban areas such as obesity. Yet, there is a lack of evidence linking markets to the public health impacts that are claimed. his chapter will provide indicatory levels of food access at a large municipal market in Leeds and extrapolate the indings into a discussion on the wider potential role of municipal markets in urban food strategies. Speciic focus will be on the role on markets in addressing food access for low-income urban communities. As urban food strategies develop in towns and cities across Britain, steering groups and urban planners need to take a realistic look at potential existing food strategy assets. Historically, traditional British markets have been important municipal bodies that ensured urban dwellers have access to an adequate and afordable diet.In the UK, the term food co-op is used to describe a range of food projects and initiatives. This chapter explores the current meaning of the term food co-op and presents original research that draws on data collected for the first phase of an evaluation for the Making Local Food Work Programme. Data for this chapter is based on ranking exercises completed by food co-op stakeholders in the UK as well as semi structured interviews with food co-op volunteers, organisers and customers. The research is part of the first stage of a larger impact evaluation of food co-ops. Different types of food co-op operations will be presented. These include locations in an urban church, a community centre, a primary school, a pub, and a market stall. This is a practical study that aims to analyse the range of benefits food co-ops can have as well as addressing the challenges.

Constructing a Sustainable Pork Supply Chain: a Case of Techno-institutional Innovation

Abstract Pork production in the Netherlands is dominated by an agro-industrial approach, which has led to several sustainability problems. Due to path dependency, this prevailing mode of production is difficult or seemingly impossible to alter. Hence, in order to address sustainability concerns, there is a need to construct a new pork supply chain. The article discusses the techno-institutional dynamics of this construction process and assesses the sustainability performance of the new pork supply chain. It highlights the importance of agency and of learning and negotiation processes in the creation of a new path. The article concludes with the observation that new path dependencies co-evolve in the process of path creation.

On Governance, Embedding and Marketing: Reflections on the Construction of Alternative Sustainable Food Networks

Based on the reconstruction of the development of 14 food supply chain initiatives in 7 European countries, we developed a conceptual framework that demonstrates that the process of increasing the sustainability of food supply chains is rooted in strategic choices regarding governance, embedding, and marketing and in the coordination of these three dimensions that are inextricably interrelated. The framework also shows that when seeking to further develop an initiative (e.g., through scaling up or product diversification) these interrelations need continuous rebalancing. We argue that the framework can serve different purposes: it can be used as an analytical tool by researchers studying food supply chain dynamics, as a policy tool by policymakers that want to support the development of sustainable food supply chains, and as a reflexive tool by practitioners and their advisors to help them to position themselves, develop a clear strategy, find the right allies, develop their skills, and build the capacities that they need. In this paper, we elaborate upon the latter function of the framework and illustrate this briefly with empirical evidence from three of the initiatives that we studied.

Agri-Food systems and territorial development: innovations, new dynamics and changing governance mechanisms

The chapter explores the linkages between farming systems and agri-food chains in a territorial development context. Lock-in effects within the current agri-food system are analysed through a socio-historical analysis. Then the experiences of emergent, still relatively small-scale, alternative food networks are assessed in terms of their transformative potential to enable sustainable food systems at a larger scale. Finally, the analysis focuses on the transition processes of agri-food systems at the territorial scale and considers the changes needed in governance modes. The chapter underlines the interdependencies and possible complementarities between the various actors of agri-food systems from production to consumption, including intermediaries as well as public policies and civil society. It emphasizes the transition and governance aspects involved.

An integrated perspective on rural regional learning

An integrated perspective on rural regional learning Regional learning and innovation is a key to promote more resilient, robust and inclusive rural areas. Current analytical frameworks focus on support for knowledge spill-over from academia to industry and sector-oriented learning. The high diversity of actors and activities contributing to rural regional development is thereby not addressed. In this paper, existing frameworks are revised to offer an integrated perspective on the support for rural regional learning. The revised framework is used to identify, map and analyse supportive arrangements and their operational interfaces. It also offers an analytical perspective for beneficiaries to evaluate the support received. The DERREG case study area Westerkwartier is used to illustrate the use of the revised framework and its relevance for empirical research. The revised framework can be used to compare supportive arrangements for learning across different rural regions. Het samen leren en innoveren, waarbij alle belanghebbenden zoveel mogelijk worden betrokken, is een belangrijke sleutel naar veerkrachtige en robuuste plattelandsgebieden. Dit wordt onderkend en ondersteund vanuit beleid op diverse niveaus. Dit artikel geeft een integraal perspectief op het ondersteunen van het samen leren en innoveren in gebieden en biedt een raamwerk om te onderzoeken hoe die ondersteuning het beste kan worden gearrangeeerd. De aandacht richt zich vooral op interfaces die ondersteunend beleid, praktijkinitiatieven vanuit gebieden en ondersteuning vanuit kennisinstellingen met elkaar verbinden. In DERREG is op basis van dit raamwerk onderzoek gedaan naar bestaande arrangementen en goed werkende interfaces in zes gebieden in zes landen. De potentie van een integraal perspectief op regionaal leren wordt geillusteerd met voorlopige bevindingen uit een van de gebieden, het Westerkwartier.

Integrated Rural Policy in Context: A Case Study on the Meaning of ‘Integration’ and the Politics of ‘Sectoring’

Partnerships for rural development are often presented as powerful ways of promoting ‘integration’. This paper examines the reality of this claim, first by analysing what ‘integration’ means and then presenting a case study of a Dutch rural partnership that shows how ‘integration’ was diluted by the ‘politics of sectoring’. In this case study, ‘integration’ was taken to mean harmonizing sectoral policies for the physical environment and to imply the integration of competing land-use claims. Representatives of different policy sectors sought to safeguard and advance their sectoral objectives through a number of strategies, including expanding conflicts to other playing fields and containing conflicts through private settlement. The interplay of these interests created a paradoxical outcome. The existing sectoral policies were maintained and ‘integration’ was achieved through the spatial separation of the most conflicting land uses, those of intensive husbandry farming and protecting nature. The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture sees such partnerships as a good example of ‘integrated rural policy’ but the example shows that the integration of existing sectoral policies for the physical environment has little to do with the achievement of wider socio-economic objectives.