Farmer groups as a device to ensure the provision of agri-environmental services in the Netherlands: a procurement perspective

In 2016 the Dutch government decided to fully switch to a farmer collectives agri-environmental service provision system. The focus is therewith on creating good habitat conditions for rare species (territorial based) instead of commitments on farm level. The paper describes and analyses the organisational framework and links it to the Dutch tradition of environmental cooperatives. Issues of collective action, transaction costs, information problems, effectiveness, accountability, and procurement efficiency are analysed in a qualitative way. It is concluded that the Dutch model is promising, although not without risks.