Political, Ecological and Social Transformations in Agriculture (PESO)

The European Union’s Green Deal sets ambitious targets for a more sustainable future in agriculture. It aims to significantly reduce the use of chemicals, improve the protection of soil and water, and promote organic farming. But how can these goals be achieved in regions where farming conditions are especially challenging, such as the mountainous areas of the Alps? The PESO project explores how agriculture in the Alpine region of the Euregio (which includes Trentino, South Tyrol, and Tyrol) can transform in a way that is both environmentally sustainable and socially fair. It investigates which technical solutions, laws, and organizational models work best in these areas, taking into account their unique climate, geography, and farming traditions. Researchers are examining to what extent farmers are open to new approaches and have the necessary capacities to adapt to new approaches. This includes looking at what support they need and what barriers they face. A central focus of the project is to understand how these changes affect local communities and how local needs can be better considered in national and EU policy. The project uses a mix of research methods, such as interviews, focus groups, policy analysis, a survey and case studies. What makes PESO unique is the close cooperation between researchers from three countries which allows the comparison of three different regions with similar challenges. As its ultimate goal, PESO aims to support a fair and practical transformation to sustainable farming in mountain regions. The results will be shared not only with scientists but also with farmers, policymakers, and the citizens of the three regions. 
Work Package 3 (WP3) analyses and compares the attitudes and opinions of farmers in Trentino, Alto
Adige/Südtirol and Tirol. This analysis focuses on both the transformative actions and goals envisaged by
the European Green Deal, as discussed in WP1, and the solution strategies elaborated in WP2. The research
is based on a survey and quantitative analysis and is situated within the framework of sociological field
theory (Hilgers & Mangez 2015).