Traditional top-down governance approaches in agriculture, such as command-and-control regulations, are often too rigid and short-sighted to effectively manage the complex and diverse needs of agricultural landscapes. These methods can fail to align with the specific spatial and temporal requirements for delivering ecosystem services, leading to inefficiencies and a disconnect between policy and on-the-ground realities.
Collaborative governance models, explored in the CP3 project, bring together actors from the public, private, and civil society sectors to create more inclusive, community-based approaches for regional landscape development. By moving away from purely hierarchical systems, these models address the challenge of integrating diverse local needs and knowledge. A key example is the development of a multi-stakeholder landscape development plan, as seen in the Berg en Dal municipality in the Netherlands, which specifies conservation activities and promotes shared responsibility for the landscape.
The potential impact is the enhancement of inclusive, community-based approaches to regional landscape development and ecosystem service provision. This leads to more sustainable land management practices that are supported by the local community. For instance, the collaborative model in Berg en Dal resulted in a detailed landscape development plan and an active community platform that fosters cooperation among stakeholders. This approach ensures transparency and accountability, with regular inspections of landscape developments. The importance of this innovation is its ability to create long-term, locally-supported solutions for managing agricultural landscapes and their ecosystem services.
The learnings from these collaborative governance models could be highly beneficial for Ireland. There is an opportunity to analyse current governance models in Ireland and identify where community-based initiatives could fill existing gaps in support networks for tackling agricultural challenges. Ireland's national parks, such as Wicklow Mountains and Killarney, which have significant agricultural activities, are prime locations for piloting such collaborative models. This aligns with the national strategy to integrate horticulture into the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) and to foster innovation.
Find out more about this innovation by contacting Leo at leo@erinn.eu.
