Globalisation and the sustainability of agricultural landscapes

When the young Danish dairy farmer, Svend Petersen, completed the last round of his large cowshed on a dark November night in 2007, New Zealand farmer Gordon Grey of the same age had just started his working day by checking the operation of his centre pivot irrigator. The two farmers are, as individuals and as members of two distinct societies, of course different. At this particular point in time their immediate situations were also quite different – Petersen was working indoors with dark, cold and wet weather outside, whereas Grey was enjoying an early spring morning. Despite these practical differences the two farmers shared a number of common conditions. They both had smiles on their faces, as milk prices on the open global market had risen over the previous year and they had each received substantial increases in payments per kilogram ofmilk. Both farmers deliver their milk to dairy cooperatives which are among the largest multinational dairy corporations in the world. They are part of a global food network driven by corporate marketing strategies and benefit from economies of scale, but neither farmer has any influence on how their milk will be processed. At this moment in time they are also competitors, but it is quite possible that they may become partners, as the two companies are cooperating and may merge in the future. The farmers’ relationship with their local landscapes is primarily shaped by their agricultural practices, particularly management of land and stock, although these in turn affect (and are affected by) landscape pattern, process and appearance. Grey may have arrangements with nearby farmers for the production of fodder crops in the winter months, but Petersen is unlikely to