Multifunctionality and Local Identity As Paradigms for a Sustainable and Competitive Agriculture
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KONINKLIJKE VLAAMSE ACADEMIE VAN BELGIE VOOR WETENSCHAPPEN EN KUNSTEN MULTIFUNCTIONALITY AND LOCAL IDENTITY AS PARADIGMS FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND COMPETITIVE AGRICULTURE 22 maart 2011 Evy Mettepenningen, Lies Messely, Nick Schuermans, Roeland Cappon, Valerie Vandermeulen,Guido Van Huylenbroeck, Joost Dessein, Etienne Van Hecke, Hans Leinfelder, Marie Bourgeois, Tom Laurijssen, Jeroen Bryon, Ludwig Lauwers, Georges Allaert, Michel Jourez CONTACTFORUM KONINKLIJKE VLAAMSE ACADEMIE VAN BELGIE VOOR WETENSCHAPPEN EN KUNSTEN MULTIFUNCTIONALITY AND LOCAL IDENTITY AS PARADIGMS FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND COMPETITIVE AGRICULTURE 22 maart 2011 Evy Mettepenningen, Lies Messely, Nick Schuermans, Roeland Cappon, Valerie Vandermeulen,Guido Van Huylenbroeck, Joost Dessein, Etienne Van Hecke, Hans Leinfelder, Marie Bourgeois, Tom Laurijssen, Jeroen Bryon, Ludwig Lauwers, Georges Allaert, Michel Jourez CONTACTFORUM Handelingen van het contactforum " Multifunctionality and local identity as paradigms for a sustainable and competitive agriculture " (22 maart 2011, hoofdaanvrager: Prof. dr. ir. Guido Van Huylenbroeck, Universiteit Gent) gesteund door de Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten. Afgezien van het afstemmen van het lettertype en de alinea’s op de richtlijnen voor de publicatie van de handelingen heeft de Academie geen andere wijzigingen in de tekst aangebracht. De inhoud, de volgorde en de opbouw van de teksten zijn de verantwoordelijkheid van de hoofdaanvrager (of editors) van het contactforum. KONINKLIJKE VLAAMSE ACADEMIE VAN BELGIE VOOR WETENSCHAPPEN EN KUNSTEN Paleis der Academiën Hertogsstraat 1 1000 Brussel Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd en/of openbaar gemaakt door middel van druk, fotokopie, microfilm of op welke andere wijze ook zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de uitgever. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by Copyright XXXX KVAB print, photo print, microfilm or any other means without written permission from the publisher. D/XXXX/XXXX/XX ISSN XXXXXXXXXXX Printed by XXXX KONINKLIJKE VLAAMSE ACADEMIE VAN BELGIE VOOR WETENSCHAPPEN EN KUNSTEN Multifunctionality and local identity as paradigms for a sustainable and competitive agriculture TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................7 1.1. Context ........................................................................................................7 1.2. Objectives....................................................................................................9 1.3. Valorisation of the project results..............................................................10 2. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................11 2.1. Methodologies used in the project.............................................................11 2.2. Case Studies ..............................................................................................13 2.3. Data collection by in-depth interviews......................................................24 2.4. Data Collection by Surveys.......................................................................25 2.5. Hedonic pricing.........................................................................................26 2.6. Focus groups..............................................................................................27 2.7. Grounded theory/ Qualitative analysis through coding .............................28 3. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REGIONAL IDENTITY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................29 3.1. Theoretical introduction to regional identity and regional development...29 3.1.1. Regional identity .......................................................................................29 3.1.2. Regional development...............................................................................31 3.1.3. Regional development based on regional identity: regional branding ......33 3.1.4. Conclusion.................................................................................................34 3.2. Results.......................................................................................................36 3.2.1. Natural, cultural and agricultural characteristics.......................................36 3.2.2. Geographical situation of the region .........................................................36 3.2.3. Regional identity .......................................................................................37 3.2.4. Regional actors..........................................................................................39 3.2.5. Cooperation and coordination ...................................................................42 3.2.6. Economic sustainability of the projects.....................................................46 3.2.7. Involvement of residents ...........................................................................48 3.3. Conclusions...............................................................................................50 5 4. THE ROLE OF THE FARMER IN IDENTITY-BASED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................53 4.1. Literature and theoretical approach...........................................................55 4.2. Results and discussion...............................................................................57 4.2.1. Role of agriculture in landscape management in the framework of identity-based regional development ..............................................................................................57 4.2.2. Should farmers be involved as landscape managers in the identity-based regional development process?.............................................................................................58 4.2.3. How to better involve farmers in landscape management in the framework of identity-based regional development? .....................................................................63 4.3. Conclusions...............................................................................................65 5. ECONOMIC BENEFITS AS A RESULT OF REGIONAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................67 5.1. Effect of multifunctional agriculture on private sectors in a region..........68 5.1.1. The effect of multifunctional agriculture on the real estate sector ............68 5.1.2. The effect of multifunctional agriculture on the tourism sector................71 5.1.3. Conclusions: effect of an agricultural identity on private sectors .............74 5.2. Alternative financing of multifunctional agriculture, based on regional identity 76 5.2.1. Alternative financing in a broader perspective..........................................77 5.2.2. An overview of the existing and potential alternative financing mechanisms 78 5.2.3. The governmental role...............................................................................84 5.2.4. Optimality of and coherence in the use of alternative financing mechanisms 85 5.2.5. The acceptability analysis on alternative financing...................................86 5.2.6. Conclusions ...............................................................................................90 5.3. Benefits from regional identity for farmers through farm diversification.93 5.3.1. Agricultural development through regional identity .................................93 5.3.2. Results: The farmers’ perspective .............................................................96 5.3.3. Results: the consumers’ perspective..........................................................99 5.3.4. Discussion and conclusion ......................................................................101 6. GENERAL CONCLUSION: MULTIFUNCTIONALITY AND REGIONAL IDENTITY AS PARADIGMS FOR A COMPETITIVE AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE........................................................................................................103 7. POLICY SUPPORT..........................................................................................107 8. REFERENCES .................................................................................................111 6 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Context Agriculture has always been multifunctional in the sense that it has always provided yellow (social care and cohesion), green (environmental and landscape services) and blue services (water management and flood control). The modernization of agriculture, however, has put pressure on this which endangers the ecological sustainability of farming. Moreover, as rural areas are changing from ‘productive’ to ‘consumptive’ areas, people living in rural areas increasingly expect agriculture to deliver these extra goods and services (Potter and Tilzey, 2005). Next to this, the modernization process of agriculture is also confronted with other limits. First of all there are market limits: resistance is building up from countries outside Europe, who consider the production incentives that caused the European Union (EU) to become a net exporter of food, as unfair competition. There are also social limits: farmers become victims of isolation and income decreases, there are increased financial risks and more recently agriculture has suffered a lot from food and animal health crises.