As social scientist I work in the knowledge fields of applied economy, rural sociology, and community-based research. I consider self-governance and interactive innovation as important elements of bringing about regional economic progress.
Through a theoretical lens on place-based and restorative farming and forestry practices, my research aims to provide insight into social, ecological and economic innovations and their potentials. Address: Departamento de Economía Aplicada, Pública y Política Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociología Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) Campus de Somosaguas 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
This paper utilises the ‘sustainable innovation journeys’ concept to trace how people organise an... more This paper utilises the ‘sustainable innovation journeys’ concept to trace how people organise and design urban food initiatives and influence city-region food policy. We evaluate whether designs succeed or fail and monitor the exchange of ideas that takes place between stakeholders. Tracing these interactions reveals the transformative potential of innovative projects, particularly if the food system changes they bring to the fore are aligned with policy interests. Three case studies provide on-the-ground insights to assess how small and medium-sized enterprises at the micro-level induce sustainability shifts. The case studies are businesses in the city-regions of Rotterdam, The Netherlands (urban farm and circular food economy); Vigo, Spain (food, forest and multi-functional land use); and Zurich, Switzerland (organic food and short supply chains). Each initiative was studied in-depth over a two-year period, with follow-up analysis for a further four years to monitor change over time (2013–2018). The cases promote the adoption of micro-level innovation practices: locally designed transition pathways that bring the benefits of change to the city-region (i.e. from the micro-level initiative to meso-level policy). The analysis highlights the importance of ‘soft change’. This can be something as simple as visiting an inspiring urban food initiative and meeting with stakeholders to generate mutual understanding, from where interests align to influence food chain practices and policy. Soft changes act as ‘seeds of transition’ for a shift towards more sustainable urban food systems, but we observe too potentially negative impacts due to lack of alignment at the micro- (initiative) or meso- (city-region) levels.
Brands hold a promising contribution to align the food system with sustainable farm development. ... more Brands hold a promising contribution to align the food system with sustainable farm development. The food system consists of a myriad of, generally small-scale, producers and consumers and retail chains provide the link between the two. As such, their brands determine to a large extend what is understood by sustainability. This article focuses on brands' sustainability definitions and their requirements from a producer's perspective. Theoretical exploration of interlinkages between the heterogeneity in farming practices, transition processes in the food system, and brands' general isomorphic character provide a lens for an empirical analysis of their contribution to change farm production towards more sustainability practices. Case studies from three European regions illuminate how institutional settings determine whether family farms and rural livelihoods benefit from the brands' sustainability claims or are restricted and endangered by the new rules and regulations imposed upon them. This way, the paper provides theoretical understanding how brand development provides the institutional conditions for farmers to reconcile economic goals with sustainability claims, but obstructs a more profound transition to agroecological practices. This asks for political intervention to create the conditions and means for capacity building at community level that will allow for a more far-reaching transition to sustainability.
The modernisation of agriculture has been, and continues to be, the cause of an increasing discon... more The modernisation of agriculture has been, and continues to be, the cause of an increasing disconnection between farming, nature, and society. This has given rise to a series of social, economic, and ecological crises in the food chain. Some farmers are responding to this by adjusting their land-use and farming practices so as to make their farms more sustainable. But such changes need to be aligned with the specificities of the local bio-physical environment and the logic of the political economic environment. This article highlights how cooperative approaches allow public and private regulatory systems to support ecological transitions. Through a theoretical lens on place-based and restorative farming practices it analyses and interprets three complementary cooperative approaches as possible starting points for the transition towards a more sustainable agri-food system. The case studies show how farmers cooperatives can be either linked to the environment and to public policies (and thus extrinsic product quality), or to the market (and intrinsic product quality), or a combination of both. These links provide competitive advantages to farmers, and enable them to increase income from farming. We then discuss the effectiveness of these forms of self-governance, and how cooperative approaches, if well organised and implemented and appropriately embedded, can empower farmers to further change and adapt their farming practices so as to restore and improve their endogenous resource base. The analysis shows that while they are place-specific they are far from locally/regionally-bounded and that their success (or failure) critically depends on their alignment with national, supra-national and global actants.
This paper introduces the concept of commoning in circular economies, and explores how commons re... more This paper introduces the concept of commoning in circular economies, and explores how commons reproduce over time. The starting point is that commoning can have an important role in fostering circular economies and sustainable and socially-inclusive development. By commoning, we refer to local stakeholders working collectively to preserve or restore their natural resource base to generate benefits that are locally shared. Through the analysis of a specific case of a group of commoners' associations in Galicia (Spain), the paper describes and discusses the development, and ultimate unravelling, of an innovative and decentralized waste management project to convert waste biomass from the monte (often-neglected upland green spaces, largely consisting of brush and trees) into compost. In order to make this composting project economically viable the possibility of collecting and processing urban green waste was also explored. While the project's application of the principles of a circular economy had the potential to bring locally-shared economic and ecological benefits, and foster territorial prosperity and resilience, it was ultimately frustrated by questions of scale, administrative and regulatory barriers, competing and conflicting land-use claims and financial cutbacks in the public sector.
The path to sustainable development involves creating coherence and synergies in the complex rela... more The path to sustainable development involves creating coherence and synergies in the complex relationships between economic and ecological systems. In sustaining their farm businesses farmers' differing values influence their decisions about agroecosystem management, leading them to adopt diverging farming practices. This study explores the values of dairy and beef cattle farmers, the assumptions that underpin them, and the various ways that these lead farmers to combine food production with the provision of other ecosystem services, such as landscape conservation and biodiversity preservation. This paper draws on empirical research from Galicia (Spain), a marginal and mountainous European region whose livestock production system has undergone modernization in recent decades, exposing strategic economic, social and ecological vulnerabilities. It applies a Q-methodology to develop a values-based approach to farming. Based on a sample of 24 livestock farmers, whose practices promote landscape conservation and/or biodiversity preservation, the Q-methodology allowed us to identify four 'farming styles'. Further analysis of the practices of the farmers in these groups, based on additional farm data and interview material, suggests that all 24 farmers valorize landscape and nature and consider cattle production and nature conservation to be compatible within their own farm practices. However, the groups differed in the extent to which they have developed synergies between livestock farming and landscape conservation. We conclude by discussing how rural development policy in Galicia could strengthen such practices by providing incentives to farmers and institutionally embedding a shift towards more diversified farming and product development.
Continuing urbanization means that city regions face challenges of development , governance, and ... more Continuing urbanization means that city regions face challenges of development , governance, and sustainability. One of these challenges relates to the management of urban green space, whether municipal parks, forests, or productive land (animal husbandry, vegetable or fruit production). This paper draws on case study research of forestry associations in Galicia. We pay specific attention to the role of comuneiros (commoners): parishioners, who collectively own and manage often-neglected green spaces: planting or rejuvenating forests of native species to enhance ecological services (water retention, fire prevention, biodiversity) while also including productive functions such as forest fruit production and small-scale animal husbandry. At the same time these activities create social benefits. With the aim of examining the position and strategies of self-governing forest organizations, we explore the organizational-institutional environment of the commons and how this facilitates (and/or obstructs) the objective of providing multiple sustainable and health benefits within the parishes, between them, and to nearby urban residents. We conclude that this particular type of management of urban green space provides products (food and non-food) and services which are not only of private interest in that they create potential new business opportunities but also of high public value.
The local turn to food is often claimed to be a way to increase the value-added component retaine... more The local turn to food is often claimed to be a way to increase the value-added component retained by primary producers and to provide healthy, fresh and affordable food to consumers. Rio do Grande do Sul in Brazil has several governmental support programs that aim to empower family farmers and open up new market opportunities for them. This article examines these programs, investigates how small-scale farmers engage with them and the resultant changes in farming and marketing practices that ensue. The article uses cluster and content analysis to identify and interpret the extent, and the different ways, in which these farmers engage with and make use of the local knowledge and innovation system. The results provide useful insights into how policy instruments improve the performance of family agribusinesses, helping them to make better use of the resources available to them, encouraging farm diversification, and strengthening local interrelations between producers and consumers.
There is increasing attention for the role of productive landscapes in complying with the necessi... more There is increasing attention for the role of productive landscapes in complying with the necessities of food security, biodiversity, and aesthetic landscape aspects in urban areas. In many urban areas, there is a need to reduce the costs involved with governing public green space. In this short chapter, the central question is how the quality of these public areas improves by transforming (parts of) it into a multifaceted " edible " landscape managed by local communities. Case study research centers on the design and optimization of green infrastructure in and around Vigo (300,000 inhabitants), in the northwest of Spain. Vigo's green infrastructure consists of municipal parks, many scattered plots of private land used for vegetable gardening and maize production, and " commons " managed by neighborhood communities. In the communally managed areas, local groups decide on land use and direct the development of the city-region's green infrastructure. The case study exhibits how these grassroots initiatives contribute to a shift in land use patterns from monoculture forestry to a multifaceted edible landscape, including food production.
AgroEcological Transitions. Changes and Breakthroughs in the Making, 2017
There has been much discussion on how the Multi Level Perspective (MLP) provides a framework for ... more There has been much discussion on how the Multi Level Perspective (MLP) provides a framework for understanding a transition towards a more sustainable agro-food system. This chapter considers processes by which niches and regimes interact and are interdependent. It analyses how projects and practices developed by farmers and 'frontline' government representatives on how farming is to be organized, can help the wider sector to adopt resilient farmers' strategies. Such strategies entail the promise leaving the social-ecological crisis of the agro-food system while creating responses to the current, economic austerity in which many farmers are situated. Case study research focuses on dairy farming in the Netherlands and Italy, and analyses how farmers' organizations reconnect agriculture and food chains to environmental concerns, including climate change, unbalances in nutrient cycles, and biodiversity degradation. It draws conclusions on how farming in re-localized agro-food systems and supported by policy regulations might result in a sustainable deviation from the modernization trajectory.
Quello delle vacche rosse può essere defi nito come uno dei più interessanti casi di studio del s... more Quello delle vacche rosse può essere defi nito come uno dei più interessanti casi di studio del settore lattiero-caseario degli ultimi decenni: i ricavi totali per le aziende di vacche di razza Reggiana ammontano a 84,75 euro/100 kg contro i 59,77 delle altre aziende, con una differenza interessante di circa 25 euro/100 kg di latte prodotto
This chapter assesses the performance of the yet fragile compilation of connections between endog... more This chapter assesses the performance of the yet fragile compilation of connections between endogenous knowledge, natural resource management and new business models in the Comarca de Verín, Galicia (Spain). It examines the pillars of regional learning, i.e. the public administrative sector, the knowledge support structure, and stakeholders in the region. Business models of innovative entrepreneurs have been selected on (potential) contribution to the preservation of the Galician traditional landscape. The chapter provides a demographic figure of the area, introduces the reader into the application of policy schemes in the area, and analyses how a selection of grassroots development initiatives links to policy schemes so as for European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) in the programming period 2014-2016. The chapter concludes that policy support has played a decisive role in enabling a group of rural dwellers to become successful entrepreneurs. When politicians and policymakers would pursue an objectives-led policy oriented on the relocalization patterns as identified in this case study then a vital and sustainable rural constellation might further develop.
Historically cities and urban green infrastructures showed a diverse and dynamic character. The r... more Historically cities and urban green infrastructures showed a diverse and dynamic character. The rise of urban agriculture is increasingly embedded in urban practices that aim to fashion a more sustainable and healthy city-region and food provisioning food system. This invites to rethink city-spaces and analyze grassroots dynamics as the spatial interweaving of densely populated urban centres and green open space, which represent actively, socially constructed functionalities and multi-spatial connectivity. Developing and implementing integrated policies to support these new practices is a major challenge.
Spanish Journal of Rural Development, Vol. V (Special 1): 7-18, 2014
Debates about the design and management of ecosystem services and interweaving of rural and urban... more Debates about the design and management of ecosystem services and interweaving of rural and urban spaces in metropolitan regions raise questions about how to conceptualize “the local”. Rather than presupposing spatial settings or identities as rural-urban or localglobal, attention here shifts to the immediacy of connections and relations. Conceptualized in terms of activity space, this paper presents a relational analysis and a practice oriented approach. To illustrate the approach, we overview three case studies in food provisioning and show how an analysis in terms of a set of spatially organized activities can generate new insights.
Whilst in the dominant discourse on the modernization of agriculture and forestry food and timber... more Whilst in the dominant discourse on the modernization of agriculture and forestry food and timber production is related to the world market, in many places people relate production and consumption in alternative ways. In the city-region of Vigo (Galicia, northwestern Spain) case study research is on how “Comunidades de Montes Veciñais en Man Común” (Associations of the Commons or CMVMCs) reconstruct the value of “Monte”, land traditionally in multifunctional use but that has been subject to a strong process of abandonment, for both rural and city dwellers. In particular, the study analyzes how interrelated projects of the CMVMC Vincios and the umbrella organization “Val Miñor Mancommunidade de Montes” provide four types of ecosystem services: provisioning, supporting, regulating and cultural ecosystem services. The main research questions are: How does the management of Monte relate to coordination mechanisms grounded in collective action and decisionmaking? To what extent do CMVMCs contribute to the design and the management of the green sites in the city-region of Vigo? In conclusion, we examine how practitioners close the gap between food provision, biodiversity conservation and related ecosystem services, and construct a socio-ecological model based on the multi-functional use of the land that meets environmental sustainability and societal demands.
Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography, 2014
Economic optimisation of the gross margin per hectare in agriculture reduces diversity, coherence... more Economic optimisation of the gross margin per hectare in agriculture reduces diversity, coherence and identity of cultural landscapes. Hence, landscape preservation calls for changes in the social-ecological organisation of places, which implies complex transitional processes towards new management regimes. These are supported by CAP reforms (Horizon, 2014–2020) that increasingly turn from individual production subsidies to farmers to the collective management of
natural resources and the related ecosystem services. This article explores the opportunities for landscape preservation in Galicia, Spain. The central question is: ‘How to develop a successful planning approach in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’ In the case study area contrasting viewpoints on landscape preservation among rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of an actor-oriented approach to landscape preservation. This article provides a ‘tool’ for catching up with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and contributes to our understanding of how place-based development in EU programs can be combined with landscape management in Galicia.
Place branding holds a promising contribution to sustainable territorial development and requires... more Place branding holds a promising contribution to sustainable territorial development and requires changes in the social organisation of places, which implies complex transitional processes towards new management regimes. This article explores place branding of the River Minho estuary in the borderland of Portugal and Spain. It deals with the tension between creating a brand, enhancing market development and sustainable (endogenous) development. The central question
is: ‘How to develop a successful inner brand in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’. In the case study, area rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions
represent contrasting viewpoints on innovation, ecosystem coordination and economic progress, viewpoints that point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of a common strategic vision or connective storyline. This article provides a ‘tool’ for sustainable development in this vulnerable estuary and contributes to our understanding of how place branding – as a means to create place distinctiveness and attractiveness – can be combined with an endogenous approach in vulnerable peripheral areas. Such an approach fits with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and an increasing focus on place-based development.
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD), 2012
The modernization of agriculture has caused and continues to cause an increasing disconnection be... more The modernization of agriculture has caused and continues to cause an increasing disconnection between farming, nature, and society, which has also created a series of social, economic, and
ecological crises in the food chain. Case study research of farmers responding to this situation can show us what changes are required to encourage a reconnection between farming, nature, and society. This paper provides ethnographic case study research of two farms: one situated in a productive polder in the Netherlands, and the other in a disadvantaged mountainous area in Galicia, Spain. They both employ “novelty production,” farmerdriven adaptations to the farm, seen as a socioecological system. These novelties change the input-output relations on farms and result in adaptations in different farming domains (technical, economic, and socio-organizational), which
we see as “unfolding” farming practices. This paper examines how these farmers have sustained and improved the socio-ecological performance of their farms and how these changes have led to a shift in the farm as a socio-ecological system and
changed the configuration and boundaries of the farms. In conclusion we look at prospects for this approach being supported at a wider level.
European policy increasingly supports territorially based rural development in which local actors... more European policy increasingly supports territorially based rural development in which local actors play a decisive role in realising economically, socially and ecologically responsible development. This paper makes use of four case-studies, from a largely
depopulated mountainous area in Galicia, Spain, where local people strive to combine the creation of new businesses with the revitalisation of the natural resource base. The paper, in analysing local knowledge infrastructure and its interface with policy, reveals the dominant role of grassroots development initiatives in effecting regional learning and capacity building. Further it is acknowledged that in Galicia progress is brokered in practice by individual stakeholders who manage structural constraints, cross boundaries and construct new cross-cutting, bridging networks. It is also apparent that these niche-actors constitute a largely untapped reservoir of knowledge brokers that could be used much more effectively if more direct cooperation with policymakers and the existing knowledge infrastructure could be achieved.
The dramatic decline in the presence of farmland birds during recent decades has provoked much at... more The dramatic decline in the presence of farmland birds during recent decades has provoked much attention in agri-environmental policy and ecological research. However, the still limited understanding of the socio-economical mechanisms that govern the decline in bird presence hampers the formulation of effective adjustments in land-use and farming practices that could support the return of birds to farmland, i.e. the required fine-tuning of management practices. As a consequence, the existing agrienvironmental schemes that offer financial compensation to farmers for implementing generally simple
and rather crude measures to stimulate the presence of birds have been limited in their effectiveness and subject to much debate. The objective of this paper is to provide a sociological appraisal of farmers’ experiences with meadow bird protection in a mainly dairy farming area in the Netherlands. The methodology combined visual map analysis, surveys, interviews with farmers and experts, and monitoring farmers’ discussions. The results allowed an assessment of (i) farmers’ views on historical changes in bird numbers in the area and the current distribution of bird nests, (ii) locally adjusted, fine-tuned management practices that were considered to be promising for protecting bird nests, (iii) the importance of farm management with ‘an eye for birds’, i.e. farmers and/or birdwatchers paying additional attention to the presence of nests and chicks before carrying out farming activities, and (iv) the views of key experts in the socio-institutional network in the case study area. The paper concludes that there are various promising options for fine-tuning farm management so it offers better bird protection, but it is expected that such measures will predominantly be adopted on less intensively managed farms.
This paper utilises the ‘sustainable innovation journeys’ concept to trace how people organise an... more This paper utilises the ‘sustainable innovation journeys’ concept to trace how people organise and design urban food initiatives and influence city-region food policy. We evaluate whether designs succeed or fail and monitor the exchange of ideas that takes place between stakeholders. Tracing these interactions reveals the transformative potential of innovative projects, particularly if the food system changes they bring to the fore are aligned with policy interests. Three case studies provide on-the-ground insights to assess how small and medium-sized enterprises at the micro-level induce sustainability shifts. The case studies are businesses in the city-regions of Rotterdam, The Netherlands (urban farm and circular food economy); Vigo, Spain (food, forest and multi-functional land use); and Zurich, Switzerland (organic food and short supply chains). Each initiative was studied in-depth over a two-year period, with follow-up analysis for a further four years to monitor change over time (2013–2018). The cases promote the adoption of micro-level innovation practices: locally designed transition pathways that bring the benefits of change to the city-region (i.e. from the micro-level initiative to meso-level policy). The analysis highlights the importance of ‘soft change’. This can be something as simple as visiting an inspiring urban food initiative and meeting with stakeholders to generate mutual understanding, from where interests align to influence food chain practices and policy. Soft changes act as ‘seeds of transition’ for a shift towards more sustainable urban food systems, but we observe too potentially negative impacts due to lack of alignment at the micro- (initiative) or meso- (city-region) levels.
Brands hold a promising contribution to align the food system with sustainable farm development. ... more Brands hold a promising contribution to align the food system with sustainable farm development. The food system consists of a myriad of, generally small-scale, producers and consumers and retail chains provide the link between the two. As such, their brands determine to a large extend what is understood by sustainability. This article focuses on brands' sustainability definitions and their requirements from a producer's perspective. Theoretical exploration of interlinkages between the heterogeneity in farming practices, transition processes in the food system, and brands' general isomorphic character provide a lens for an empirical analysis of their contribution to change farm production towards more sustainability practices. Case studies from three European regions illuminate how institutional settings determine whether family farms and rural livelihoods benefit from the brands' sustainability claims or are restricted and endangered by the new rules and regulations imposed upon them. This way, the paper provides theoretical understanding how brand development provides the institutional conditions for farmers to reconcile economic goals with sustainability claims, but obstructs a more profound transition to agroecological practices. This asks for political intervention to create the conditions and means for capacity building at community level that will allow for a more far-reaching transition to sustainability.
The modernisation of agriculture has been, and continues to be, the cause of an increasing discon... more The modernisation of agriculture has been, and continues to be, the cause of an increasing disconnection between farming, nature, and society. This has given rise to a series of social, economic, and ecological crises in the food chain. Some farmers are responding to this by adjusting their land-use and farming practices so as to make their farms more sustainable. But such changes need to be aligned with the specificities of the local bio-physical environment and the logic of the political economic environment. This article highlights how cooperative approaches allow public and private regulatory systems to support ecological transitions. Through a theoretical lens on place-based and restorative farming practices it analyses and interprets three complementary cooperative approaches as possible starting points for the transition towards a more sustainable agri-food system. The case studies show how farmers cooperatives can be either linked to the environment and to public policies (and thus extrinsic product quality), or to the market (and intrinsic product quality), or a combination of both. These links provide competitive advantages to farmers, and enable them to increase income from farming. We then discuss the effectiveness of these forms of self-governance, and how cooperative approaches, if well organised and implemented and appropriately embedded, can empower farmers to further change and adapt their farming practices so as to restore and improve their endogenous resource base. The analysis shows that while they are place-specific they are far from locally/regionally-bounded and that their success (or failure) critically depends on their alignment with national, supra-national and global actants.
This paper introduces the concept of commoning in circular economies, and explores how commons re... more This paper introduces the concept of commoning in circular economies, and explores how commons reproduce over time. The starting point is that commoning can have an important role in fostering circular economies and sustainable and socially-inclusive development. By commoning, we refer to local stakeholders working collectively to preserve or restore their natural resource base to generate benefits that are locally shared. Through the analysis of a specific case of a group of commoners' associations in Galicia (Spain), the paper describes and discusses the development, and ultimate unravelling, of an innovative and decentralized waste management project to convert waste biomass from the monte (often-neglected upland green spaces, largely consisting of brush and trees) into compost. In order to make this composting project economically viable the possibility of collecting and processing urban green waste was also explored. While the project's application of the principles of a circular economy had the potential to bring locally-shared economic and ecological benefits, and foster territorial prosperity and resilience, it was ultimately frustrated by questions of scale, administrative and regulatory barriers, competing and conflicting land-use claims and financial cutbacks in the public sector.
The path to sustainable development involves creating coherence and synergies in the complex rela... more The path to sustainable development involves creating coherence and synergies in the complex relationships between economic and ecological systems. In sustaining their farm businesses farmers' differing values influence their decisions about agroecosystem management, leading them to adopt diverging farming practices. This study explores the values of dairy and beef cattle farmers, the assumptions that underpin them, and the various ways that these lead farmers to combine food production with the provision of other ecosystem services, such as landscape conservation and biodiversity preservation. This paper draws on empirical research from Galicia (Spain), a marginal and mountainous European region whose livestock production system has undergone modernization in recent decades, exposing strategic economic, social and ecological vulnerabilities. It applies a Q-methodology to develop a values-based approach to farming. Based on a sample of 24 livestock farmers, whose practices promote landscape conservation and/or biodiversity preservation, the Q-methodology allowed us to identify four 'farming styles'. Further analysis of the practices of the farmers in these groups, based on additional farm data and interview material, suggests that all 24 farmers valorize landscape and nature and consider cattle production and nature conservation to be compatible within their own farm practices. However, the groups differed in the extent to which they have developed synergies between livestock farming and landscape conservation. We conclude by discussing how rural development policy in Galicia could strengthen such practices by providing incentives to farmers and institutionally embedding a shift towards more diversified farming and product development.
Continuing urbanization means that city regions face challenges of development , governance, and ... more Continuing urbanization means that city regions face challenges of development , governance, and sustainability. One of these challenges relates to the management of urban green space, whether municipal parks, forests, or productive land (animal husbandry, vegetable or fruit production). This paper draws on case study research of forestry associations in Galicia. We pay specific attention to the role of comuneiros (commoners): parishioners, who collectively own and manage often-neglected green spaces: planting or rejuvenating forests of native species to enhance ecological services (water retention, fire prevention, biodiversity) while also including productive functions such as forest fruit production and small-scale animal husbandry. At the same time these activities create social benefits. With the aim of examining the position and strategies of self-governing forest organizations, we explore the organizational-institutional environment of the commons and how this facilitates (and/or obstructs) the objective of providing multiple sustainable and health benefits within the parishes, between them, and to nearby urban residents. We conclude that this particular type of management of urban green space provides products (food and non-food) and services which are not only of private interest in that they create potential new business opportunities but also of high public value.
The local turn to food is often claimed to be a way to increase the value-added component retaine... more The local turn to food is often claimed to be a way to increase the value-added component retained by primary producers and to provide healthy, fresh and affordable food to consumers. Rio do Grande do Sul in Brazil has several governmental support programs that aim to empower family farmers and open up new market opportunities for them. This article examines these programs, investigates how small-scale farmers engage with them and the resultant changes in farming and marketing practices that ensue. The article uses cluster and content analysis to identify and interpret the extent, and the different ways, in which these farmers engage with and make use of the local knowledge and innovation system. The results provide useful insights into how policy instruments improve the performance of family agribusinesses, helping them to make better use of the resources available to them, encouraging farm diversification, and strengthening local interrelations between producers and consumers.
There is increasing attention for the role of productive landscapes in complying with the necessi... more There is increasing attention for the role of productive landscapes in complying with the necessities of food security, biodiversity, and aesthetic landscape aspects in urban areas. In many urban areas, there is a need to reduce the costs involved with governing public green space. In this short chapter, the central question is how the quality of these public areas improves by transforming (parts of) it into a multifaceted " edible " landscape managed by local communities. Case study research centers on the design and optimization of green infrastructure in and around Vigo (300,000 inhabitants), in the northwest of Spain. Vigo's green infrastructure consists of municipal parks, many scattered plots of private land used for vegetable gardening and maize production, and " commons " managed by neighborhood communities. In the communally managed areas, local groups decide on land use and direct the development of the city-region's green infrastructure. The case study exhibits how these grassroots initiatives contribute to a shift in land use patterns from monoculture forestry to a multifaceted edible landscape, including food production.
AgroEcological Transitions. Changes and Breakthroughs in the Making, 2017
There has been much discussion on how the Multi Level Perspective (MLP) provides a framework for ... more There has been much discussion on how the Multi Level Perspective (MLP) provides a framework for understanding a transition towards a more sustainable agro-food system. This chapter considers processes by which niches and regimes interact and are interdependent. It analyses how projects and practices developed by farmers and 'frontline' government representatives on how farming is to be organized, can help the wider sector to adopt resilient farmers' strategies. Such strategies entail the promise leaving the social-ecological crisis of the agro-food system while creating responses to the current, economic austerity in which many farmers are situated. Case study research focuses on dairy farming in the Netherlands and Italy, and analyses how farmers' organizations reconnect agriculture and food chains to environmental concerns, including climate change, unbalances in nutrient cycles, and biodiversity degradation. It draws conclusions on how farming in re-localized agro-food systems and supported by policy regulations might result in a sustainable deviation from the modernization trajectory.
Quello delle vacche rosse può essere defi nito come uno dei più interessanti casi di studio del s... more Quello delle vacche rosse può essere defi nito come uno dei più interessanti casi di studio del settore lattiero-caseario degli ultimi decenni: i ricavi totali per le aziende di vacche di razza Reggiana ammontano a 84,75 euro/100 kg contro i 59,77 delle altre aziende, con una differenza interessante di circa 25 euro/100 kg di latte prodotto
This chapter assesses the performance of the yet fragile compilation of connections between endog... more This chapter assesses the performance of the yet fragile compilation of connections between endogenous knowledge, natural resource management and new business models in the Comarca de Verín, Galicia (Spain). It examines the pillars of regional learning, i.e. the public administrative sector, the knowledge support structure, and stakeholders in the region. Business models of innovative entrepreneurs have been selected on (potential) contribution to the preservation of the Galician traditional landscape. The chapter provides a demographic figure of the area, introduces the reader into the application of policy schemes in the area, and analyses how a selection of grassroots development initiatives links to policy schemes so as for European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) in the programming period 2014-2016. The chapter concludes that policy support has played a decisive role in enabling a group of rural dwellers to become successful entrepreneurs. When politicians and policymakers would pursue an objectives-led policy oriented on the relocalization patterns as identified in this case study then a vital and sustainable rural constellation might further develop.
Historically cities and urban green infrastructures showed a diverse and dynamic character. The r... more Historically cities and urban green infrastructures showed a diverse and dynamic character. The rise of urban agriculture is increasingly embedded in urban practices that aim to fashion a more sustainable and healthy city-region and food provisioning food system. This invites to rethink city-spaces and analyze grassroots dynamics as the spatial interweaving of densely populated urban centres and green open space, which represent actively, socially constructed functionalities and multi-spatial connectivity. Developing and implementing integrated policies to support these new practices is a major challenge.
Spanish Journal of Rural Development, Vol. V (Special 1): 7-18, 2014
Debates about the design and management of ecosystem services and interweaving of rural and urban... more Debates about the design and management of ecosystem services and interweaving of rural and urban spaces in metropolitan regions raise questions about how to conceptualize “the local”. Rather than presupposing spatial settings or identities as rural-urban or localglobal, attention here shifts to the immediacy of connections and relations. Conceptualized in terms of activity space, this paper presents a relational analysis and a practice oriented approach. To illustrate the approach, we overview three case studies in food provisioning and show how an analysis in terms of a set of spatially organized activities can generate new insights.
Whilst in the dominant discourse on the modernization of agriculture and forestry food and timber... more Whilst in the dominant discourse on the modernization of agriculture and forestry food and timber production is related to the world market, in many places people relate production and consumption in alternative ways. In the city-region of Vigo (Galicia, northwestern Spain) case study research is on how “Comunidades de Montes Veciñais en Man Común” (Associations of the Commons or CMVMCs) reconstruct the value of “Monte”, land traditionally in multifunctional use but that has been subject to a strong process of abandonment, for both rural and city dwellers. In particular, the study analyzes how interrelated projects of the CMVMC Vincios and the umbrella organization “Val Miñor Mancommunidade de Montes” provide four types of ecosystem services: provisioning, supporting, regulating and cultural ecosystem services. The main research questions are: How does the management of Monte relate to coordination mechanisms grounded in collective action and decisionmaking? To what extent do CMVMCs contribute to the design and the management of the green sites in the city-region of Vigo? In conclusion, we examine how practitioners close the gap between food provision, biodiversity conservation and related ecosystem services, and construct a socio-ecological model based on the multi-functional use of the land that meets environmental sustainability and societal demands.
Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography, 2014
Economic optimisation of the gross margin per hectare in agriculture reduces diversity, coherence... more Economic optimisation of the gross margin per hectare in agriculture reduces diversity, coherence and identity of cultural landscapes. Hence, landscape preservation calls for changes in the social-ecological organisation of places, which implies complex transitional processes towards new management regimes. These are supported by CAP reforms (Horizon, 2014–2020) that increasingly turn from individual production subsidies to farmers to the collective management of
natural resources and the related ecosystem services. This article explores the opportunities for landscape preservation in Galicia, Spain. The central question is: ‘How to develop a successful planning approach in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’ In the case study area contrasting viewpoints on landscape preservation among rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of an actor-oriented approach to landscape preservation. This article provides a ‘tool’ for catching up with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and contributes to our understanding of how place-based development in EU programs can be combined with landscape management in Galicia.
Place branding holds a promising contribution to sustainable territorial development and requires... more Place branding holds a promising contribution to sustainable territorial development and requires changes in the social organisation of places, which implies complex transitional processes towards new management regimes. This article explores place branding of the River Minho estuary in the borderland of Portugal and Spain. It deals with the tension between creating a brand, enhancing market development and sustainable (endogenous) development. The central question
is: ‘How to develop a successful inner brand in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’. In the case study, area rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions
represent contrasting viewpoints on innovation, ecosystem coordination and economic progress, viewpoints that point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of a common strategic vision or connective storyline. This article provides a ‘tool’ for sustainable development in this vulnerable estuary and contributes to our understanding of how place branding – as a means to create place distinctiveness and attractiveness – can be combined with an endogenous approach in vulnerable peripheral areas. Such an approach fits with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and an increasing focus on place-based development.
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD), 2012
The modernization of agriculture has caused and continues to cause an increasing disconnection be... more The modernization of agriculture has caused and continues to cause an increasing disconnection between farming, nature, and society, which has also created a series of social, economic, and
ecological crises in the food chain. Case study research of farmers responding to this situation can show us what changes are required to encourage a reconnection between farming, nature, and society. This paper provides ethnographic case study research of two farms: one situated in a productive polder in the Netherlands, and the other in a disadvantaged mountainous area in Galicia, Spain. They both employ “novelty production,” farmerdriven adaptations to the farm, seen as a socioecological system. These novelties change the input-output relations on farms and result in adaptations in different farming domains (technical, economic, and socio-organizational), which
we see as “unfolding” farming practices. This paper examines how these farmers have sustained and improved the socio-ecological performance of their farms and how these changes have led to a shift in the farm as a socio-ecological system and
changed the configuration and boundaries of the farms. In conclusion we look at prospects for this approach being supported at a wider level.
European policy increasingly supports territorially based rural development in which local actors... more European policy increasingly supports territorially based rural development in which local actors play a decisive role in realising economically, socially and ecologically responsible development. This paper makes use of four case-studies, from a largely
depopulated mountainous area in Galicia, Spain, where local people strive to combine the creation of new businesses with the revitalisation of the natural resource base. The paper, in analysing local knowledge infrastructure and its interface with policy, reveals the dominant role of grassroots development initiatives in effecting regional learning and capacity building. Further it is acknowledged that in Galicia progress is brokered in practice by individual stakeholders who manage structural constraints, cross boundaries and construct new cross-cutting, bridging networks. It is also apparent that these niche-actors constitute a largely untapped reservoir of knowledge brokers that could be used much more effectively if more direct cooperation with policymakers and the existing knowledge infrastructure could be achieved.
The dramatic decline in the presence of farmland birds during recent decades has provoked much at... more The dramatic decline in the presence of farmland birds during recent decades has provoked much attention in agri-environmental policy and ecological research. However, the still limited understanding of the socio-economical mechanisms that govern the decline in bird presence hampers the formulation of effective adjustments in land-use and farming practices that could support the return of birds to farmland, i.e. the required fine-tuning of management practices. As a consequence, the existing agrienvironmental schemes that offer financial compensation to farmers for implementing generally simple
and rather crude measures to stimulate the presence of birds have been limited in their effectiveness and subject to much debate. The objective of this paper is to provide a sociological appraisal of farmers’ experiences with meadow bird protection in a mainly dairy farming area in the Netherlands. The methodology combined visual map analysis, surveys, interviews with farmers and experts, and monitoring farmers’ discussions. The results allowed an assessment of (i) farmers’ views on historical changes in bird numbers in the area and the current distribution of bird nests, (ii) locally adjusted, fine-tuned management practices that were considered to be promising for protecting bird nests, (iii) the importance of farm management with ‘an eye for birds’, i.e. farmers and/or birdwatchers paying additional attention to the presence of nests and chicks before carrying out farming activities, and (iv) the views of key experts in the socio-institutional network in the case study area. The paper concludes that there are various promising options for fine-tuning farm management so it offers better bird protection, but it is expected that such measures will predominantly be adopted on less intensively managed farms.
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Papers by Paul Swagemakers
natural resources and the related ecosystem services. This article explores the opportunities for landscape preservation in Galicia, Spain. The central question is: ‘How to develop a successful planning approach in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’ In the case study area contrasting viewpoints on landscape preservation among rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of an actor-oriented approach to landscape preservation. This article provides a ‘tool’ for catching up with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and contributes to our understanding of how place-based development in EU programs can be combined with landscape management in Galicia.
is: ‘How to develop a successful inner brand in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’. In the case study, area rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions
represent contrasting viewpoints on innovation, ecosystem coordination and economic progress, viewpoints that point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of a common strategic vision or connective storyline. This article provides a ‘tool’ for sustainable development in this vulnerable estuary and contributes to our understanding of how place branding – as a means to create place distinctiveness and attractiveness – can be combined with an endogenous approach in vulnerable peripheral areas. Such an approach fits with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and an increasing focus on place-based development.
ecological crises in the food chain. Case study research of farmers responding to this situation can show us what changes are required to encourage a reconnection between farming, nature, and society. This paper provides ethnographic case study research of two farms: one situated in a productive polder in the Netherlands, and the other in a disadvantaged mountainous area in Galicia, Spain. They both employ “novelty production,” farmerdriven adaptations to the farm, seen as a socioecological system. These novelties change the input-output relations on farms and result in adaptations in different farming domains (technical, economic, and socio-organizational), which
we see as “unfolding” farming practices. This paper examines how these farmers have sustained and improved the socio-ecological performance of their farms and how these changes have led to a shift in the farm as a socio-ecological system and
changed the configuration and boundaries of the farms. In conclusion we look at prospects for this approach being supported at a wider level.
depopulated mountainous area in Galicia, Spain, where local people strive to combine the creation of new businesses with the revitalisation of the natural resource base. The paper, in analysing local knowledge infrastructure and its interface with policy, reveals the dominant role of grassroots development initiatives in effecting regional learning and capacity building. Further it is acknowledged that in Galicia progress is brokered in practice by individual stakeholders who manage structural constraints, cross boundaries and construct new cross-cutting, bridging networks. It is also apparent that these niche-actors constitute a largely untapped reservoir of knowledge brokers that could be used much more effectively if more direct cooperation with policymakers and the existing knowledge infrastructure could be achieved.
and rather crude measures to stimulate the presence of birds have been limited in their effectiveness and subject to much debate. The objective of this paper is to provide a sociological appraisal of farmers’ experiences with meadow bird protection in a mainly dairy farming area in the Netherlands. The methodology combined visual map analysis, surveys, interviews with farmers and experts, and monitoring farmers’ discussions. The results allowed an assessment of (i) farmers’ views on historical changes in bird numbers in the area and the current distribution of bird nests, (ii) locally adjusted, fine-tuned management practices that were considered to be promising for protecting bird nests, (iii) the importance of farm management with ‘an eye for birds’, i.e. farmers and/or birdwatchers paying additional attention to the presence of nests and chicks before carrying out farming activities, and (iv) the views of key experts in the socio-institutional network in the case study area. The paper concludes that there are various promising options for fine-tuning farm management so it offers better bird protection, but it is expected that such measures will predominantly be adopted on less intensively managed farms.
natural resources and the related ecosystem services. This article explores the opportunities for landscape preservation in Galicia, Spain. The central question is: ‘How to develop a successful planning approach in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’ In the case study area contrasting viewpoints on landscape preservation among rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of an actor-oriented approach to landscape preservation. This article provides a ‘tool’ for catching up with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and contributes to our understanding of how place-based development in EU programs can be combined with landscape management in Galicia.
is: ‘How to develop a successful inner brand in the context of a geographically peripheral area facing severe ecological, social and economic vulnerabilities?’. In the case study, area rural dwellers, entrepreneurs and representatives of institutions
represent contrasting viewpoints on innovation, ecosystem coordination and economic progress, viewpoints that point to power issues on control over the natural environment, but also provide input for the development of a common strategic vision or connective storyline. This article provides a ‘tool’ for sustainable development in this vulnerable estuary and contributes to our understanding of how place branding – as a means to create place distinctiveness and attractiveness – can be combined with an endogenous approach in vulnerable peripheral areas. Such an approach fits with the EU objectives of sustainable, inclusive and smart growth and an increasing focus on place-based development.
ecological crises in the food chain. Case study research of farmers responding to this situation can show us what changes are required to encourage a reconnection between farming, nature, and society. This paper provides ethnographic case study research of two farms: one situated in a productive polder in the Netherlands, and the other in a disadvantaged mountainous area in Galicia, Spain. They both employ “novelty production,” farmerdriven adaptations to the farm, seen as a socioecological system. These novelties change the input-output relations on farms and result in adaptations in different farming domains (technical, economic, and socio-organizational), which
we see as “unfolding” farming practices. This paper examines how these farmers have sustained and improved the socio-ecological performance of their farms and how these changes have led to a shift in the farm as a socio-ecological system and
changed the configuration and boundaries of the farms. In conclusion we look at prospects for this approach being supported at a wider level.
depopulated mountainous area in Galicia, Spain, where local people strive to combine the creation of new businesses with the revitalisation of the natural resource base. The paper, in analysing local knowledge infrastructure and its interface with policy, reveals the dominant role of grassroots development initiatives in effecting regional learning and capacity building. Further it is acknowledged that in Galicia progress is brokered in practice by individual stakeholders who manage structural constraints, cross boundaries and construct new cross-cutting, bridging networks. It is also apparent that these niche-actors constitute a largely untapped reservoir of knowledge brokers that could be used much more effectively if more direct cooperation with policymakers and the existing knowledge infrastructure could be achieved.
and rather crude measures to stimulate the presence of birds have been limited in their effectiveness and subject to much debate. The objective of this paper is to provide a sociological appraisal of farmers’ experiences with meadow bird protection in a mainly dairy farming area in the Netherlands. The methodology combined visual map analysis, surveys, interviews with farmers and experts, and monitoring farmers’ discussions. The results allowed an assessment of (i) farmers’ views on historical changes in bird numbers in the area and the current distribution of bird nests, (ii) locally adjusted, fine-tuned management practices that were considered to be promising for protecting bird nests, (iii) the importance of farm management with ‘an eye for birds’, i.e. farmers and/or birdwatchers paying additional attention to the presence of nests and chicks before carrying out farming activities, and (iv) the views of key experts in the socio-institutional network in the case study area. The paper concludes that there are various promising options for fine-tuning farm management so it offers better bird protection, but it is expected that such measures will predominantly be adopted on less intensively managed farms.