Communal farming: An Alternative agri-food system?

The present report offers the research foundation and inspiration for the setup of a communal farm. Ongoing climate change demands significant changes in agricultural practices. However, farmers experience little support from consumers and society, which aggravates polarization. Small-scale, communal farming with attention to the region-specific conditions could represent a solution. The prospective farm we work towards shall engage and connect citizens to farmers in light of the ongoing polarization. Simultaneously, we explore how journalists can take an active mediating role between groups in society by evolving and diversifying their approaches in the different phases of coverage. When subsequently exploring civic agriculture, we amplify why small farms and businesses stimulate more civic engagement in the community generally. Following this theoretical inquiry into literature, we examine existing initiatives and uncover why the financial sustainability of the project and the complex structure need to be taken into account at the early stage of setting up a communal farm. Subsequently, we delve into a stakeholder - and partner analysis that details their possible interest in the Frisian-based project and why they would be valuable contact points along the course of the project. In the end, our research boils down to two directions that can be explored in the search for a new angle in impending subsidy applications. The project can be reframed by a) focusing on the combination of journalistic practices, harboring great cognitive effects and putting the journalist in an active role; or b) focusing on the positive domino effect that small-scale agriculture has on the community