Transformation and sustainability in agriculture: connecting practice with social theory

Abstract

This book is about how to analyse the social and institutional mechanisms that enable or hinder endeavours to change the way agriculture is done and food is provided. In recent decades, agriculture and food provision have faced a series of events often labelled as ‘crises’. These have included damage due to increased pressure on natural environments, food scares related to contamination and animal diseases, public fears of genetic modification, and civil protests against the way animals are kept and treated. Since 2001, the Netherlands government has taken upon itself the vast task of initiating a selection of ‘planned’ transitions, in response to these persistent and complex problems and with the aim of achieving a sustainable society within a period of 30 years (Slingerland and Rabbinge, 2009). Sustainable agriculture is one of the selected transition areas, besides energy, mobility, and biodiversity and natural resources.