State support for financial risk management schemes has been introduced in numerous agricultural policies to enhance farming system resilience in response to increased income fluctuations and partially reduced producer support levels in the agricultural sector. In order to better understand how financialisation of risks can contribute to an actual improvement of specific farming systems’ resilience, this study investigates its effects with regards to dairy farming. Based on an in-depth case study of a dairy system in Northwest Germany, multilayered challenges faced by the farm system are identified, resilience strategies investigated and the role of financial risk management evaluated. In doing so, the resilience assessment framework developed by Meuwissen et al. (2019) is applied in order to analyse the systems’ capacity to resist, adapt or transform in response to external challenges threatening the provision of system’ functions. The results indicate a high relevance of insurances and savings with regards to the system’s robustness against short-term shocks. However, to address the various long-term pressures, resilience-enhancing attributes that increase the system’s capacity to adapt and transform would need to be strengthened. In particular, more cooperation and knowledge transfer beyond system boundaries could contribute to a holistic risk management allowing for improved farming system resilience.

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Agriculture is embedded in and interacts with both its ecological and social environments. Under the concept of 'Multifunctional Agriculture', these interactions receive attention from scientific and political communities in terms of societal functions that can be fulfilled by farms. The discourse has focused on ecological functions, while agriculture's social contributions are frequently mentioned but not systematically addressed. Accordingly, respective empirical results remain fragmented and applied conceptual approaches barely integrated.To address this research gap, we conducted a systematic literature review on the social functions of European agriculture. Our analysis (a) disentangles different definitions and categorizations of social functions found in the literature; (b) proposes an interdisciplinary framework and categorization that eases the linkage of relevant insights from different conceptual viewpoints; and (c) paves the way for the differentiated recognition and governance of the diverse social functions potentially delivered by farms and their activities in the European context.

Die Zahl landwirtschaftlicher Betriebe in Deutschland und Europa nimmt ab und ihre durchschnittliche Größe zu. Besteht Anlass für eine stärkere Unterstützung kleinerer Betriebe? Agrarpolitische Interessensgruppen deuten den Größenstrukturwandel unterschiedlich und ziehen verschiedene politische Schlussfolgerungen.Structural changes in agriculture are frequently considered problematic. Concerns are expressed about the declining number of farms and the growth of the farms that remain. A structuring content analysis of 50 position papers on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform shows that the development of agricultural-sized structures is interpreted as a problem of both equity and multifunctionality. The respective positionings overlap when it comes to the principle of performance equity and comes together around the goal of maintaining as many (small) farms as possible. It is either assumed that small enterprises would benefit if subsidies were tied to the provision of public goods, or that promoting the existence of small farms would automatically lead to their provision. Existing studies can only partially prove or refute such connections. What remains is the need for public negotiations regarding the societal functions which agriculture should assume, and with what priority.

Der Agrarsektor steht unter enormem Veränderungsdruck: Negative Umwelt- und Klimaauswirkungen etablierter Produktionssysteme müssen verringert und gleichzeitig möglichst viele Menschen ernährt werden. Entsprechend intensiv wird nach geeigneten Konzepten und politischen Steuerungsmöglichkeiten gesucht. Viele Landwirt(inn)e(n) engagieren sich bereits freiwillig und übernehmen Verantwortung, doch reicht dies nicht aus. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ist ein in anderen Wirtschaftsbereichen etablierter Ansatz, freiwillige gesellschaftliche Verantwortungsübernahme zum integralen Bestandteil von Unternehmenskultur zu machen. Wir diskutieren, wie weit sich CSR auf landwirtschaftliche Betriebe übertragen lässt.The agricultural sector is under enormous pressure to feed as many people as possible while at the same time operating in an environmentally compatible and sustainable manner. Many farmers are already volunteering and taking on responsibility, but there is a continuing search for conducive concepts and political control options. Could the approach of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is established in other economic sectors, be suitable to contribute to the socio-ecological transformation of agriculture?

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Nachhaltige Landnutzung – Biodiversität erhöhen, landwirtschaftliche Produktion neu denken