Between aspirations and reality:Making farming, food systems and rural areas more resilient, sustainable and equitable

This paper explores the connections between farm modernisation, rural development and the resilience of agricultural and rural systems. The paper starts by ascertaining why agricultural and food systems need to change systemically. Evidence from case studies in fourteen countries is used to explore the possibilities for, and drivers and limitations of systemic change in four thematic areas: the resilience of farms and rural areas; prosperity and well-being; knowledge and innovation, and; the governance of agriculture and rural areas. In each area, we identify a major mismatch between visions and strategies on the one hand, and market developments, policy measures and outcomes on the other. The first theme is of growing concern as there has been an observable decrease in the social-ecological resilience of farms and of rural communities in recent decades. The second theme emerges as important as the concentration of production in some regions or some farms is directly linked to the marginalisation of others. The third theme illustrates that local farmer-driven innovations can teach us much, especially since farmers focus on efficiently using the resources available to them, including their location-specific experiential knowledge. Through the final theme we show that informal networks can balance different interests and approaches, which is essential for integrated rural development strategies and projects. Our findings in these four thematic areas have implications for the strategic frameworks and policy of the EU (and beyond) and future research agendas. We explicitly draw these out. The 14 case studies show that practitioners, grassroots initiatives and pilot programmes are already generating a wealth of experiences and knowledge that could be fruitfully used to inform higher-level policy development. The paper concludes that systemic change requires more critical reflection of conventional wisdom and approaches, and openness to ideas and practices that are outside the mainstream

Regenerating the Socio-Ecological Quality of Urban Streams : The Potential of a Social Learning Approach

The degradation of urban streams is a pressing problem in many cities around the world. Particularly in the so-called Global South, this degradation is associated with factors such as poverty, unplanned settlements, social exclusion, lack of basic sanitation infrastructure, poor management of water resources and inefficiencies in environmental governance systems. Responses to this urban challenge involve the participation of diverse stakeholders in a complex process of dialogue and learning that must deal with the multifaceted ecological and social issues affecting urban water systems and populations inhabiting their surroundings. In this context, social learning is considered a relevant approach to inform collective action towards the sustainability of these socio-ecological systems. The goal of this chapter is to identify potentialities and challenges in utilising a social learning approach to facilitate dialogue between a range of stakeholders involved in the restoration of an urban stream in a context of socio-ecological vulnerability. Our analysis is built on a representative case from urban Brazil: the Taquara Stream, in the city of Porto Alegre. This case involves a community-based initiative enacted by a group of citizens who are collectively seeking solutions to regenerate the socio-ecological quality of this local stream and watershed