Resilient region

(1)

Centre of Expertise Energy

Resilient region

Context

In the agri-food sector there is a major competition and it is likely that this competition will only get fiercer in all links of the chain, both internationally and nationally. Among other things, this has led to the disappearance of many regional processing companies in the Northern Netherlands in the last 30 to 50 years. We still see a lot of bulk production from a few large players, but many smaller companies cannot compete on price and have to close. According to a scenario study by the Centraal Planning Bureau (CPB),

agricultural employment will decrease between 50% - 65% in the period up to 2040. This is mainly due to global competition. By

scaling up, cost reductions, far-reaching efficiency and

rationalization, the largest entrepreneurs have an advantage. They produce a lot with good standards, especially bulk for

export.

Problem definition

‘How can effective collaboration be established between boundary spanning partners? Boundary spanners are partners that have

critical horizontal ties to external constituencies on which their organization depends (Mintzberg 1977).

The form of cooperation will be researched within the Gebieds- coöperatie Westerkwartier (case study)

Wicked problem

Food scandals, animal abuse, imminent obesity epidemic, the

pursuit of fewer CO2 and waste, food safety, food security and a more sustainable approach with circular processes sustainability and circular economy - all this leads to the demand for more and more locally produced products. The wicked problem is ‘how can the food chain be setup by local producers and farmers, keeping in mind that they also have to deal with the reality of the global

market.’

Dilemmas

_{How do you get producers and farmers to work together? And}

linked to that, how do you get consumers to choose the more

expensive local? Linked to that again, what is a fair price for local farmers, local producers and consumers?

What are the enablers and barriers for these organization to join and to form partnership? Enablers and barriers can be

organizational structure, culture, climate, leadership, commitment, knowledge, etc