29 Jan 2013    Reports/ Presentations
Aerni, Philipp


Agricultural Policies in New Zealand - taking advantage of the global knowledge economy

Stockholm Conference of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract
Most countries claim to be committed to sustainable agriculture. Yet, there is little agreement on what exactly constitutes sustainable agriculture. Policy makers therefore often avoid controversy by merely following the perceived social preferences. Yet, these social preferences may again be influenced by political stakeholders that actively try to persuade the public of their particular view of sustainable agriculture, in the hope to make public opinion more compatible with their respective self-interest. In this context, the presentation used the example of New Zealand to illustrate that sustainability in agriculture may have more to do with taking advantage of the global knowledge economy to address sustainability challenges effectively than policy measures to prevent change in agriculture that is currently associated in public with sustainable agriculture in Europe.

Agricultural Policies in New Zealand - taking advantage of the global knowledge economy