The Peasant Wedding Report:
Note: This article is not specifically about organic farming, but the wider scope
of sustainable agriculture. It is included as useful background reading as it
deals with many issues common to organic production.
Much like in Britain, Dutch agriculture has undergone a series of crises in recent
years, notably repeated outbreaks of swine fever. In 1997, a team of experts formed
the Peasant Wedding Foundation which aims to overcome the problems by analysing
the relevant issues, supporting sustainable development initiatives and finding
solutions in terms of policy. (The name comes from the Brueghel painting which
adorns the front of the report.)
Earlier this
year, the long-awaited English translation of their report was made available.
Obviously, the report is geared towards issues affecting Dutch farming; however,
it is designed with a broader outlook in mind, and sees itself as a catalyst for
a European process towards a shared rural vision. It is certainly a provocative
and eye-opening document.
It begins with the startling, although retrospectively obvious premise that 'biological
diversity and biomass production are inversely related.' That is to say, the more
productive an area is, the less diverse its gene pool and the more susceptible
it is to disease. Sustainable agricultural practice... is about a feasible yield
instead of a maximal one- a lower raw output, but a more stable environment and
a more secure future. It sees the side-benefits of organic farming - biodiversity
production and societal benefits - as an "insurance premium" against instabilities.
"Organic products are not more expensive, they are more realistic."
Equally startling is the "Four capitals" evaluation of agricultural benefit. Besides
the man-made capital gains from selling produce, farming should (it says) reckon
with human capital (including knowledge and dignity), natural capital (the health
of the soil and biodiversity) and social capital (participation and ownership);
sustainable agriculture should aim to maintain or improve all four capitals.
It refers, in passing, to the Strawberry Yoghurt Model. Despite its name, this
is in fact a serious piece of logistical research by the Wupperthal Institute's
Stefanie Böge. It discusses the distances travelled by the ingredients of a pot
of strawberry yoghurt and reaches the conclusion that by sourcing locally, these
can be reduced by up to 65%. The Foundation predicts "necessary price increases...
despite all resistance" in this sector and recommends working to reduce food miles.
It would do this by implementing a so-called eco-smiles system, analogous to the
air-miles bonus idea. More transport-efficient products would obtain benefits
for both the farmer - in the form of tax breaks or price reductions - and the
consumer - in the form of shares in agricultural investment funds, or again price
reductions.
A more surprising proposal relates to the protection of land as "true capital."
Like workers, it should be protected from over-exploitation and from property
speculation. This would also ensure (in theory) that the countryside be protected
against urban expansion. Government policy and regulations - necessary for a stable
market - should be predictable and steady rather than reactionary; the Foundation
recommends "Landscape shops" to provide help and information on these topics.
Its main proposal, however, is the Agricultural Green Social Contract (AGSC.)
This would be a contract between all parties interested in agriculture - landowners,
farmers, government, environmental groups, consumer organisations and so on -
laying down long-term rules and responsibilities and outlining the objectives:
for the environmentalists, healthy soil and biodiversity; for the farmer, stable
and sufficient prices; for the average citizen, healthy food and accessible countryside;
and for the government, the least possible interventions.
Overall, it gives a radical but consistent suggested route for agriculture, applicable
far beyond the Netherlands.
Related Links:
The
Peasant Wedding Foundation homepage, in Dutch and English. You can download
the full report
Calculate
your own ecological footprint. (The 1997 UK average was 4.6 Ha/cap, compared
to 4.7 in the Netherlands and 8.4 in the USA.)
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