Agricultural nature conservation in the Netherlands: Three lenses on transition pathways

Abstract

In this paper three approaches on transitions pathways are bridged to study the role of agricultural nature conservation in a sustainability transition of the Dutch land use domain. Sustainability transitions in the way society uses land involve a vast number of actors and institutions on very different levels, from individual farmers and consumers over companies or social groups to national or supranational systems. The analysis of these complex transitions can profit from different research lenses. The three perspectives used are the Multilevel Perspective (MLP), Initiative Based Learning (IBL) and Integrated Assessment Modelling (IAM). The analysis provided insights in how the combination of different research approaches may improve the understanding of certain empirical observations related to the studied transitions. IAM provides insight in the measures needed to achieve global sustainability goals on biodiversity and climate while ensuring food supply, and MLP and IBL provide insights in how far these measures are realistic based on current developments in the agricultural and nature regime and on practices at the local level. This is important because a lot of measures and modifications ask for changes at the local level, and studying real life interactions and social relations provides insight into these mechanisms. A combined perspective caters for a deeper understanding of the underlying processes, reasons and motives as well as points towards potential future development and opportunities for intervention.

The Multi-Level Perspective in Research on Sustainability Transitions in Agriculture and Food Systems: A Systematic Review

“…Hassink et al [88] Care farming The Netherlands Ingram [84] Permaculture UK (England) Järnberg et al [94] Agricultural development Ethiopia Nygaard and Bolwig [95] Jatropha biofuel Ghana Punt et al [96] Animal testing in safety evaluations Multi-country/Europe To et al [71] Waste from sugar processing (bagasse) Mauritius Zwartkruis et al [97] Agricultural nature conservation The Netherlands…”

“…Raven [121] and Konrad et al [122] point out that more attention should be paid to horizontal interactions i.e., multi-regime and multi-niche interactions. Some of the selected papers deal with multi-regimes and address the interface between agriculture and energy [71,95,107,108], nature [97] or healthcare [87][88][89]. Immink et al [55] criticize the lack of coordination between niches and argue that " .…”

“…Nevertheless, some of the selected papers address various external trends and exogenous factors that affect transition towards sustainable agro-food systems. These trends and factors include globalization and agro-food market internationalization [55,90,98], population growth [90], global financial crisis [108], changes in diets and lifestyles [55], (neo)-liberalization [88,90], international treaties and conventions [97,111], the Common Agricultural Policy [79,99] in the context of the European Union, increasing concerns about animal welfare and the environment [55,88], climate change [73,90]. According to Immink et al [55], " .…”

“…Zwartkruis et al [97] analyse the role of internationally agreed European and global targets relating to biodiversity and climate in land use changes in the Netherlands. The analysis shows that the nascent 'agricultural nature conservation' niche, that was fostered by the international commitments and agreements of the Netherlands, affects both agriculture and nature regimes.…”

“…The use of the actor network theory (ANT) allowed for a better analysis of the dynamics of the evolution of the network around the niche since the 1970s. Likewise, Zwartkruis et al [97] integrate the perspective of the MLP with those of integrated assessment modelling (IAM) and initiative based learning (IBL) to analyse the dynamics of land use in the Netherlands and especially the agricultural nature conservation role in shaping these dynamics. Bui et al [66] combine the MLP with some elements from the French pragmatic sociology, and argue that "this combination makes it possible to take advantage of the analytical perspective of transition studies while at the same time addressing some of their weaknesses by focusing specifically on changes in practices, actors' networks and visions" (p. 102).…”