Cooperation and Sustainable Intensification for upland livestock farmers - highlighting challenges and questioning assumptions

摘要

Sustainable intensification (SI) has been proposed as a measure to reduce the environmental impacts of agriculture whilst increasing outputs. It is argued that some actions to promote sustainable intensification can be targeted and achieved at the farm level, but others benefit from wider action across multiple farm units. These include reducing catchment-level flood-risk, pollution and nutrient loss; and enhancing biosecurity, carbon sequestration and habitat connectivity. These actions involve collective action between farmers to coordinate and accomplish. In economic terms, farmer cooperation can also facilitate knowledge exchange and innovation to enhance production efficiencies and technology transfer. In addition, group working can achieve economies of scale through bulk purchasing, labour sharing and collective marketing, all of which improve financial sustainability. Socially, collaboration has been seen to support farmer wellbeing and provide a mechanism for cultural renewal, enhancing community viability.