Agrarian Revolt or Populist Disruption? The Case of the Dutch Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) in the Netherlands

Founded in 2019, the Dutch Farmer-Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, BBB) has emerged as a political force in Dutch politics, combining agrarian interest advocacy with populist rhetoric to achieve a remarkable electoral breakthrough in 2023. Yet, its nature remains elusive: Is the BBB a traditional farmers’ party, a populist movement cloaked in nativist and rural nostalgia, or a new hybrid challenging conventional political categories? This paper dissects the BBB’s identity, situating it within the Dutch and European contexts of agrarian populism, political fragmentation, and societal discontent with government policies. By combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, the paper sets out to analyse the party’s platform, rhetoric, and voter base. Specifically, the paper investigates whether the BBB represents a case (or even revival) of agrarian populism, or a novel political phenomenon adapting to 21st-century challenges. Moreover, the paper engages with broader questions about populism’s capacity to shape political behaviour and redefine electoral competition, particularly in times of crisis. In doing so, the paper situates the BBB within debates about the resilience of democratic systems under populist pressure, considering its potential role as both a symptom of and a response to political dissatisfaction. In the context of broader European trends, we show that the BBB represents a critical case study in understanding populist responses to ‘wicked’ policy challenges, such as climate change and rural-urban divides.