Land use, economy and ecology Needs and prospects for co-evolutionary development

This article examines new developments which may pose a threat to coevolutionary development in Europe, and scrutinizes in particular the current agricultural policies of the European Community (EC). With the help of a threefold typology—ecological, traditional and modern—the likely perceptions and behaviour of farmers in the face of external change are discussed. On this basis the authors identify research needs, and draw up an extensive research agenda which will have to be addressed if ecologically sustainable agricultural development and land use are to be promoted.