Systems innovations in agriculture in the Netherlands

In recent years scientists of Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) dedicated much effort to systems innovations in agriculture and horticulture. Complex and persistent environmental problems require new approaches, new so-called proof of principles that should offer farmers and growers of the future new perspectives in a development course towards more sustainable farm management systems. And this course was – and still is - characterised by intensive cooperation with a large number of stakeholders: farmers and growers and their representatives, businesses in various links of the chain, regional organisations, service industries and knowledge institutions, societal organisations and authorities. This is because development and implementation of sustainable farming requires the development of new techniques as well as – at the same time - acquiring support for the implementation of such changes among all stakeholders. This is why communication and knowledge transfer were playing such an important role in the systems innovation programmes. This report presents the four innovation projects and their results, together with a short description of the embedding of these projects in the future explorations that have been conducted together with stakeholders.