Policy conditions for sustainable agriculture in the Netherlands

Summary Sustainability as a goal is widely accepted and ranked high on the political agenda. Although the operationalization of this concept differs, the range of opinions shows a pseudo-consensus. Sustainable agriculture is defined in this paper as an agriculture that fulfils functions with regard to food production, nature and landscape, and the development of the rural areas now and in the future. This requires a set of ecological criteria for the agricultural sector. Besides the ecological aspects, sustainable agriculture has consequences for the economic, cultural and socio-political aspects of society. This paper concentrates on the socio-political conditions for sustainable agriculture. An important strategy for the realisation of sustainable agriculture is the stimulation of sustainable initiatives of (groups of) farmers, in particular on a regional level. The future perspectives of such a bottom-upwards approach are described by giving some examples of initiatives of Dutch farmers. It will be argued that the national governmental policy has to enlarge the scope for the development of farming practices.Dr Ing L.G. (Ina) Horlings studied land and water management at the Larenstein International Agricultural College in Velp before studying geography at the University of Nijmegen. She currently works at this university as a researcher and lecturer in the Department of Environmental Policy Sciences at the University. She is writing her thesis on agricultural policy. Her publications relate to environmental aspects of spatial research, farmer's initiatives and agricultural landuse.