Agroecological landscapes (KB-36-006-001)

Agricultural landscapes face various challenges, such as preserving biodiversity, adapting to climate change, and ensuring economic viability. At the same time, diverse stakeholder interests—ranging from farmers and nature organizations to policymakers—play a crucial role. How can we determine whether a landscape is sustainable? And what actions are needed to improve it and achieve shared goals? This participatory tool provides a framework for jointly evaluating landscapes and formulating targeted actions. 
Collaborating towards a sustainable landscape is a complex process that brings together different interests and perspectives. To support groups in reflecting on their landscape, a method has been developed that offers guidance for a joint approach. This method helps stakeholders better understand how a landscape functions and identify collaborative actions to improve the landscape in line with shared goals.

The method can be used by groups involved in area processes in rural regions who want to reflect on their progress. Examples include local communities, government agencies, nature conservation organizations, businesses, landowners, and experts in fields such as ecology, spatial planning, or cultural heritage. The goal is to bring together all parties, each with their own interests, to reflect on the current state of the landscape and formulate concrete steps for improvement. This process takes into account the diverse goals and interests at play within the landscape and area processes. 
This method helps assess whether a landscape meets the needs of both people and the planet through 24 reflection questions divided into five themes:
1.The Agricultural-ecological network, consisting of the physical environment within the landscape, which provides…
2.Landscape values and services, such as food production, recreation, and aesthetic beauty.
3.The Social network, consisting of the stakeholders within the landscape.
4.Collective action, whereby stakeholders work together to improve the landscape in line with common goals.
5.External factors, such as policies and regulations that influence the landscape.

During a workshop, the question cards for each theme are discussed with participants. The focus is not on “right” or “wrong” answers, but on reflection: How do we approach this theme, and are we, as a group, satisfied with our efforts? Participants evaluate each card to determine whether follow-up action is needed. Based on these discussions, an action agenda is created to guide next steps after the workshop.

This method is the result of the two-year research project Agroecological Landscapes (KB-36-006-001), a collaboration between researchers from Wageningen Plant Research, Environmental Research, Livestock Research, and Economic Research.