The policy approach to sustainable farming systems in the EU

The paper outlines the importance of sustainability for farming systems from a natural, economic and social perspective, and it describes the policy options available to the agricultural sector and the government to devise sustainable farming systems in the context of the European Union. The present situation of farming systems is discussed, including the heavier demands farming makes on some natural resources while farming populations tend to decline. In seeking a framework to promote sustainable farming systems, a variety of policy options are examined, including price, structural and R&D policies. The feasibility of these policy changes is assessed in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy and its potential capacity to move away from a price/cost setting role to a more complex and multidimensional one. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.