Agricultural policy community and the challenge of greening: The case of Finnish agri‐environmental policy

What has been the main model of the agri‐environmental policy in Finland, and what kinds of interests has the policy promoted? Answers can be suggested by identifying political and cultural factors which have effects on the agricultural pollution issue, and by adopting a policy network approach using the concepts of policy community and issue network. On the one hand, the main model of the Finnish agri‐environmental policy has been stable. This is primarily explained by the strength of agricultural interests in the Finnish society. On the other hand, there are signs of the emergence of ecology in Finnish agriculture. Ecological discourses have spread rapidly to agricultural policies, and there is also an increasing agreement that agriculture should be paid for ecological services. These new policy elements are linked especially to Finnish membership in the European Union. Thus, the primary force, which has promoted environmental protection in Finnish agriculture, has mainly been economic. However, additio...

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