Stimulating transitions towards sustainable farming systems

This chapter will address the dynamics of the agro-food sector in the long run and focus on how transitions to sustainability could be initiated and supported, taking into account renewal intitiatives at the farm level, organised projects, heterogeneous actors and differing interests.
Sustainable agro-food systems cannot be developed through a simple improve-ment of existing systems but will require a transition. A transition will have to come from radically different novelties that initially have various misfits with an existing regime. To tackle these misfits will require a learning process that needs to be of a ‘reflexive’ nature, i.e. that various taken for granted characteristics of the regime and beliefs of stakeholders can become questioned. Another critical is-sue is that this learning not only takes place in a protected environment (or niche) but that new links with the existing regime need to be created. Only then can learning on novelties start a transformation process in the regime that may even-tually lead to a transition.