Framing Agroecology in the Netherlands: Identifying strategies being used by progressive farmers and farming organisations and how policy and scientific debates align with them.

Abstract

This research aimed to identify and analyse strategies being used by progressive farmers and farmer organisations to promote and practice agroecology in the Utrecht region of the Netherlands. A secondary aim of the research was to also critically analyse the discourse currently on-going within policy and scientific debates. In the end that goal was then to reflect on these two worlds and scrutinise whether they are aligning. The study followed a research strategy that was composed of qualitative analysis with the use of semi-structured interviews and a critical analysis of relevant policy and debates in sustainability and transition sciences on sustainable agriculture. The farmers contacted as part of the researched practiced various forms of agriculture but all shared the same goal of farming sustainably as well as exhibiting some amount of agroecology in their practices. Similarly, the farming organisations operated differently but all had the same goal of supporting and encouraging progressive farmers. The analysis of policy documents including agroecology as well as the sustainability and transition science discourse allowed for scrutinization of whether there was alignment in the two worlds. What was observed is that the term ‘agroecology’, has been included in the latest vision of ‘circular agriculture’ of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality although this has been followed by few concrete actions and weak implementation thus far. Moreover , a specific type of ‘agroecology’ in that of ‘food forestry’ has gained much policy attention too. Many opportunities and limitations experienced by farmers and organisations working in this way were identified. Moreover, different strategies were being used or were available to different farmers and organisations.