Swedish agricultural companies, especially small farms, are struggling to be profitable in difficult economic times. It is a challenge for Swedish farmers to compete with imported products on prices. The agricultural industry, however, supports the view that through business model innovation, farms can increase their competitive advantage. This paper identifies and describes some of the barriers Swedish small farms encounter when they consider business model innovation. A qualitative approach is used in the study. Agriculture business consultants were interviewed.
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become a popular tool for governing rural development in a European context. PPPs are often presented as significant solutions for increasing both the effectiveness (problem-solving capacity) and the legitimacy of sustainable rural governance in terms of participation and accountability. In Sweden, where PPPs have played a marginal role, due to the EU cohesion policy they are now gaining ground as a model for the governance and management of natural resources in rural areas.
The development of future food systems will depend on normative decisions taken at different levels by policymakers and stakeholders. Scenario modeling is an adequate tool for assessing the implications of such decisions, but for an enlightened debate, it is important to make explicit and transparent how such value-based decisions affect modeling results.
This paper explores the potential of the multi-strata design used in edible forest gardens based on studies during the establishment of edible forest gardens (the first four years) in the agricultural settings of a group of participating farms in Sweden. The design and species composition of such gardens, the kind of food they may provide, and how they would best fit into the present landscape are discussed.
This study analysed Swedish stakeholders’ views on future developments of organic production and consumption based on Organic 3.0, a strategic initiative by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Focus group discussions were carried out with actors representing different parts of the organic value chain in Sweden. These identified a number of tensions, four of which represented an unresolved dichotomy in the way forward for the organic movement and its relevance for organic production in most settings.
This thesis is situated in this field of inquiry and studies entrepreneurship in agriculture. It explores how we can further develop both agriculture and sustainable rural areas. Farmers have traditionally played a significant role in rural areas and rural development, and still do. However in pace with societal development and the reduced number of farms and farm production, their role has changed. Today, they are considered as raw material producers, being the first link in a food chain, and active in landscape conservation in the countryside.
L’édition annuelle de Défis Sud propose un regard sur les agricultures, avec des faits, des chiffres et des prévisions. Face à l’augmentation de la population, au réchauffement climatique et à la perte de ressources naturelles, les solutions proposées pour répondre au défi de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale devraient davantage miser sur l’agriculture familiale et l’agroécologie. En 2018 les agricultures familiales seront encore menacées.
Aujourd’hui encore, les forêts restent un enjeu vital. Ceci alors que le développement accéléré de beaucoup de régions provoque une pression croissante sur les écosystèmes forestiers. Parc Yasuni en Equateur, parc national des Virunga en RDC, ou plus largement forêts tropicales au Brésil ou en Indonésie, on peut multiplier les exemples de conflits socio-environnementaux où la question de l’utilisation et de la propriété des ressources forestières est l’objet de luttes féroces entre populations indigènes, ONG environnementales, multinationales et gouvernements, etc.
Les Nations unies ont désigné 2014 comme l’Année internationale de l’agriculture familiale. À l’échelle de la planète, la population agricole est estimée à 2,6 milliards de personnes, soit 40 % de la population totale. Avec 1,3 milliard d’actifs, l’agriculture demeure le premier secteur d’emploi au niveau mondial. Dans les pays en développement, là où 70% de la population reste liée aux activités agricoles, l’alimentation des familles dépend essentiellement de la production vivrière et des marchés locaux. Aujourd’hui, défendre l’agriculture familiale ne suffit plus.
Les échanges commerciaux sur le marché mondial s’accélèrent. On constate l’émergence de nouveaux acteurs ainsi que l’intensification des rapports Sud-Sud. Ces caractéristiques peuvent-elles modifier la face de la mondialisation et ouvrir de nouvelles formes de négociation aux filières agricoles du Sud ? Les ONG et autres associations à but non lucratif ne seraient en tous les cas plus les seules à défendre la durabilité et l’agriculture familiale. Mais alors, quel est le rôle de ces ONG ?