Territorial Collaboration and Policy Making in the European Agricultural Sector

Farmers have a tradition of self-governance. There is however a need to innovate. This is not only induced to face the increasing liberal world market competition or to make a strong opposition against the retail sector, but also to cope with the increasing diversity of values the sector has to respond to. Farmers have to work together with nature- and environmental groups, citizens, recreation entrepreneurs, and local and regional governments and agencies. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges of the new forms of self-governance, where not only farmers, but also citizens, NGOs and local governments are involved. During the reform of the EU common agricultural policy (2013), the EU provided new opportunities to set up new forms of self-governance. Through self-governance they seek to provide public goods, such as landscape maintenance, constructing biking- and hiking routes, planting historic hedges, helping biodiversity, and working on clean waterways, air, and soil.