Dialogue with and inclusion of farmers and their traditions, knowledge and norms in the development of a sustainable and democratic agricultural sector

Denmark is an agricultural country with 62 pct. of the area owned by farmers with legal private property rights. The Danish agriculture and food industries are world leading in contributing to the increased global food demand, including increasing demand for animal products through improved living standards. Efficiency in both productivity and strong cooperation throughout the product chain has enabled this position. However, this development has given rise to negative impact on common resources such as decreasing water quality, reduced soil fertility and loss of biodiversity (Frison, 2016). Simultaneously, EU spends > €50 billion on the Common Agricultural Policy with the primary goal to support farmers’ income and improve the environmental impact of agricultural production (EU Commision, 2018).

The amount of people who feel concerned about farming activities and their consequences is increasing, while the number of citizens with a link to agriculture has diminished (Meynard, Dedieu and Bos, 2012). Furthermore, the distribution of wealth gains attributable to the agricultural production is to an increasing degree claimed by input suppliers through protection of formal intellectual property rights (Clancy and Moschini, 2017). Quite an illogicality for a sector once largely influenced by public research and the farmers’ own ingenuity (Clancy and Moschini, 2017).

Increasing public awareness and opinions about the agricultural practices of today challenge the development of the sector. Some concerns are manifested through EU and national regulation others expressed through increased demand for organic food products (Prost et al., 2017). But does the reproachful public critic rely on actual knowledge about the agricultural production system? Paradoxically the percentage of money spend on food has been strongly decreasing the last 40 years and today less than 15 % on average of a Danish budget is spend on food products, beverages and tobacco (DST, 2017). This raises the question whether requested transition, which often include costs for farmers, is supported by willingness to pay more for food products?

A more sustainable and open innovation space around common resources require learning processes involving perceptions, routines, rules and regulations at the level of social and economic context in which farmers operate. To secure efficiency innovations have to be negotiated and locally adjusted by relevant stakeholders (Meynard, Dedieu and Bos, 2012). These modes of research and development entail requirements and challenges for both researchers and stakeholders but has the potential to create more democratic and sustainable management of the common land.

From a qualitative study of a conventional farmer group practicing conservation agriculture stakeholder-driven objectives are identified as a starting point for sustainable management of land, coexistence with other rural activities and urban populations’ use of space.