AgChange. Conflicts of the New Agricultural Policy.
Changing relationship between society and nature?

Interdisciplinary perspectives on conflicts over problem perceptions, policy evaluation, distribution and land use connected with the New Agricultural Policy.
Junior Research Group at the Research Centre on Biotechnology, Society and the Environment, University of Hamburg, BIOGUM

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POLITIK UND UMWELT Klaus Jacob; Frank Biermann; Per-Olof Busch; Peter H. Feindt (Hrsg.) ISBN 978-3-531-14889-2 INNOVATION POLICY FOR HIGH TECHNOLOGY IN A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE A conference of the working group on Politics and Technology of the German Association for Political Science (DVPW) 22. - 23. June 2007 at the New Castle of Meersburg

Research problem:

In 2001 the German government proclaimed a “turnaround in agriculture”, reacting to a fundamental loss of public confidence in food safety and a market crash following the first BSE cases detected in the country. Since 2002 the European Union launched a comprehensive reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. Programmatically both reform schemes aim at a transformation of agricultural policies and the agricultural sector towards a better integration of social and ecological goals. The conflicts over problem perceptions, policy evaluation, distribution and land use connected with such a transformation are the research focus of this project. Starting from an interdisciplinary perspective, AgChange provides crucial elements for an ongoing scientific evaluation of the new agricultural policy in Germany with a special views on the international context. The empirical research encompasses the policy process, the institutional and discursive policy space, farmers’ perceptions of change, a land use model and a participatory model of the sectoral transformation. The empirical results will serve as a basis for consultancy for policy-makers, farmers and interested groups from civil society. In a broader theoretical and strategic perspective, the agricultural reform schemes are examined as an example to analyse preconditions and constraints of sectoral strategies for sustainable development. The project focuses on three research aspects:

(1) Governance: Agricultural policy and agricultural discourse in the political multi-level system

The recent changes in German and European agricultural policy are analysed as example for the discursive, institutional and situative conditions of sustainability oriented reform schemes. The analysis is complemented by comparative case studies in the USA, France, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. In each case research mainly focuses on the institutional analysis of vertical and horizontal policy integration, as well as on their effects on the policy process, on policy design, implementation and outcome. Additionally, the agricultural policy discourse is investigated over a period of six years. Empirical data encompass a full inquiry of the coverage of agricultural policy in German quality newspapers in the time period 2000-2005, interviews with interest groups and policy-makers in the national German, the EU and the WTO arena, as well as document analyses. 

(2) Everyday-life perspectives on the agricultural reform and gender aspects

Lifeworld perceptions of agricultural change and policy reform are examined with a special focus on gender issues. Male and female farmers in Germany are interviewed on their specific situation as well as their appreciation of work and nature. The interpretation of the results will be discussed with the interviewees for feedback and knowledge transfer. 

(3) Evaluation, scenarios, decision support

The available multitude of evaluation concepts based on natural and agricultural sciences is examined in order to assess their suitability for evaluating socio-ecological reform strategies. In cooperation with the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape and Land Use Research (ZALF) and using one of their appraisal models several policy scenarios are evaluated with regard to their effects on land use and ecology in the model region of Ostprignitz-Ruppin (Brandenburg, Germany). Additionally, participative modelling methods are prepared for utilization in the agricultural sector. A model of the effects of one actual reform scheme (reform of the EU sugar market regulations) will be developed in cooperation with stakeholders and decision makers. This model is supposed to serve for decision analysis and decision support as well as an interactive evaluation tool designed for use by decision makers. 

The first module investigates the social disputes about the general framework conditions of the agricultural sector, the second and third modules analyse if and how the appearance (or absence) of political, economic, social and technological change has an impact on decision making by farmers and other economic players. In so doing the relative importance of policy changes in comparison to changes in the markets and in the social sphere can be estimated. On this basis recommendations for a socio-ecological reform strategy will be developed. At the end of the project these recommendations will be discussed in the frame of an extended transfer and consultation process with policy-makers and a broad range of stakeholders from agriculture, business and civil society.

Project duration: 1 July 2002 until 30 June 2007

Outline of AgChange