Agri-Food Policy Transformation by Technology - Assessing Policy Impacts in Nexus Challenges in Germany

Agricultural policymaking increasingly promotes approaches and technological solutions to prevent the negative environmental impacts of intensive agricultural production. The transformation to more sustainable agri-food systems benefits from innovative technologies that enable a more efficient use and reuse of natural resources (Schwindenhammer 2020). However, technological innovations simultaneously fuel cross-sectoral interdependencies (between food, water and energy), raise new and competing policy demands (agency dimension), and uncover the sectoral division of policy areas in established policy frameworks as an impediment for effective policymaking (policy dimension). The paper deals with this interplay of technology innovation, nexus challenges and agri-food policy transformation in Germany. It contrasts two empirical cases – both originally thought to increase sustainability by means of technological innovation. The cases illustrate that a central impediment for integrating policymaking is the sectoral division of policy areas, the diverging interests and incentive structures, and the lack of institutionalized forms of cooperation and communication between actors from the affected policy areas. The first and well-studied case is the installation of biogas plants with the aim to increase the share of renewable energies. It shows that interdependencies with food production were ignored and resulted in an overfertilization of fields and the pollution of groundwater resources due to the non-consideration of fermentation residues from biogas plants in the fertilizer regulation, that lies in the responsibility of the agricultural policy area (Möck et al., 2019; Kastens & Newig, 2007). Integrating these competing demands and interests that spread across different policy areas into policymaking remains a challenge (Endo et al., 2017). The second case deals with the technological linkage of wastewater treatment systems and agricultural production, by using wastewater for the fertilization of plants and crops and thereby enabling a more sustainable use of water resources. Here, the successful implementation is likely to be hindered by a multitude of (waste-)water and food safety regulations. The persistency of existing policies in one sector may prevent the development of innovations that are thought to promote sustainability in another sector and points to the need for more integrated policymaking. Endo, A., Tsurita, I., Burnett, K., & Orencio, P. M. (2017). A review of the current state of research on the water, energy, and food nexus. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 11, 20-30. Kastens, B., & Newig, J. (2007). The Water Framework Directive and Agricultural Nitrate Pollution: Will Great Expectations in Brussels be Dashed in Lower Saxony? European Environment, 17(4), 231-246. Möck, M., Vogeler, C. S., Bandelow, N. C., & Schröder, B. (2019). Layering Action Situations to Integrate Spatial Scales, Resource Linkages, and Change over Time: The Case of Groundwater Management in Agricultural Hubs in Germany. Policy Studies Journal, online first. Schwindenhammer, S. (2020). The Rise, Regulation and Risks of Genetically Modified Insect Technology in Global Agriculture. Science, Technology and Society, online first, 1-18.