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Freja Marie Hegelund

Freja Marie Hegelund

Doctoral student

Freja Marie Hegelund

Når forandringens vinde blæser over det åbne land : Fortællinger og landmandsfrihed i den grønne omstilling

När förändringens vindar blåser över det öppna landskapet

Author

  • Freja Marie Hegelund
  • Katrine Vintov
  • Inge-Merete Hougaard

Summary, in English

In light of the global climate and biodiversity crisis, the role of agriculture is challenged. In Denmark, politicians aim to withdraw 100.000 hectares of low-lying organic soils from agricultural production, which paves the way for new nature management projects to address climate change and biodiversity decline. Thus, the green transition adds another layer of external requirements and regulations on what has in the literature been described as farmers’ freedom; a wish among farmers for more autonomy and freedom from external control and interference. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Central Jutland, Denmark, this article explores how Danish farmers position themselves in the changing societal conditions of the green transition. With point of departure in the concept of (everyday) narratives we explore how farmers find meaning and navigate in the changing circumstances. We argue that farmers negotiate their place in the landscape in three ways: By positioning agriculture as an integral part of Danish nature; by disputing the scientific base of nature management projects and emphasising their own local knowledge; and by staging agriculture as a solution to climate and biodiversity challenges. In this way, the farmers’ everyday storytelling resonates and reproduces wider sectoral narratives of agricultural interest groups, and points to a continued wish for autonomy and freedom from external requirements and regulations. Furthermore, the article illustrates that farmers and public authorities have essentially different understandings of what nature is and how it can be promoted. This challenges collaborative nature management projects and illustrates the complexity of the negotiation of future landscapes.

Department/s

  • Department of Human Geography
  • LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)

Publishing year

2023

Language

Danish

Pages

43-43

Publication/Series

Tidsskriftet Antropologi

Volume

2023

Issue

86

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Foreningen Stofskifte

Topic

  • Human Geography

Keywords

  • Jordbruk
  • bönder
  • Grön omställning
  • Storytelling
  • Farmers' freedom
  • Naturförvaltning
  • Agriculture
  • Farmers
  • Green transition
  • Farmers' freedom
  • Storytelling
  • Nature management

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0906-3021