Barriers in the transition towards nature inclusive agriculture

Degenaar, Joris (2019) Barriers in the transition towards nature inclusive agriculture. Integration Project, Industrial Engineering and Management.

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Abstract

The intensification of agriculture is one of the causes for the worldwide decreasing level of biodiversity. Being one of the causes, it can also become one of the solutions. In the Netherlands, the Provincie Groningen is working on the transition towards a nature inclusive way of farming. This entails the inclusion of natural processes into the farming process, while letting nature benefit from the agricultural processes. In this research project the barriers which are faced by farmers in the transition towards nature inclusive agriculture are investigated. Different aspects have been considered: the current state of agriculture in the Netherlands, the economic models which could support such a transition and how biodiversity can become a valuable asset. A SWOT analysis has been performed on a pilot project regarding nature inclusive agriculture. Furthermore, different nature inclusive measures have been evaluated and included in a decision tool which has been designed to improve the knowledge transfer towards farmers. The first of the barriers being faced in this transition is the transfer of knowledge in multiple directions. Knowledge already exists at knowledge institutions but not all has reached farmers yet, vice-versa there is a lot of practical knowledge and experience at farmers which could also be of value for knowledge institutions. This knowledge is existing but fragmented. Furthermore, the integral approach of nature inclusive agriculture demands a high level of collaboration between many parties. The effectiveness of the collaboration between government, the academic sector and the farmers who have bring everything into practice can suffer from a top-down approach and requires an open and even level of communication. At last, compromises will have to be made to the current level of intensity and efficiency. The margins in the agricultural sector are low and economic models will be required to successfully complete the transition. Rewarding mechanisms as a biodiversity monitor are promising for this. Raising the price of agricultural products can make the transition to fund itself. This is a more desirable transition than when it must come down to subsidies or coupled CAP incomes.

Item Type:	Thesis (Integration Project)
Supervisor name:	Bosch, A.J. and Ree, C.M.
Degree programme:	Industrial Engineering and Management
Thesis type:	Integration Project
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	26 Jun 2019
Last Modified:	27 Jun 2019 07:40
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/19712

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