The fruitful discussion on the drivers and barriers to agroecological (AE) transition arose and stakeholders analysed each aspect and discussed them with scrutiny. As a result, we managed to get the overview which aspects should be a priority to address in order to foster the transition to agroecology.
Main barriers:
- lack of farmers’ knowledge on AE farming practices,
- low promotion of AE practices in the protected territories,
- added value created on farms is low,
- consumer awareness and interest in sustainable products is low ,
- municipal support for procuring products from organic, agroecological and environmentally friendly farms is low,
- prices for resources and services are increasing,
- entrepreneurship skills of farmers, which is currently rather low,
- fatigue among farmers (LT - B22) and low hopes about the future and prospects of dairy farming.
Main drivers:
- supporting short supply chain initiatives,
- good farmer marketing and entrepreneurship skills,
- sustainable consumer choices.
Although most of the barriers and drivers of the case study were addressed to some extent, the analysed instruments and initiatives are insufficient for effective transition to AE.
Regarding the instruments, the following general conclusions can be drawn after the workshops:
- There is a huge lack of representation of small scale extensive farmers (dairy farmers included) in the development of new policies and instruments in the governance level;
- Coming from the first conclusion, it can be stated that most of the instruments are designed with no differentiation regarding type of farming and do not specifically encourage development of agroecological farming;
- Nevertheless, there are a few measures which make a positive impact to the transition of dairy farms to agroecology, however their impact needs to be strengthened and mobilised.
See also an earlier news item about the Lithuanian case.
Photos / text: BEF-LT