The Agrarian and Territorial Multifunctionality Discourses and policies about agriculture and rural development

Abstract

ABSTRACT:In this article their authors analyse the notion of multifunctionality from two approaches: agricultural and rural. Firstly, they state that the agricultural approach of multifunctionality recuperate some typical elements of the traditional farming systems, where nature, landscape and rural countryside were integrated in a whole. Secondly, they analyse the evolution of the CAP (Commune Agricultural Policy) and show how in such a European policy have coexisted two logics: on the one side, a liberal logic, that encouraged an unidimensional model of farming (performance, specialised, intensive, productivist), and the other side, a agrarian logic, that supported a plurality of farming models integrated in the countryside and oriented at the development of multiples functions. Thirdly, they analyse the rural approach of multifunctionality and study the influence of this approach in the LEADER programmes of rural development. Fourthly, they analyse the convergence between both approaches of multifunctionality in the new EU regulation of rural development. Finally, they comment the implementation of this regulation in Spain.