ABSTRACT
Europe has a multifunctional paradigm that challenges the market-oriented viewpoint of agriculture in the modern economy. The European term “multifunctional agriculture” refers to the mostly nonmarket benefits from agriculture, in contrast to the market benefits from the provision of raw materials for the food and fiber industries. This concept of agriculture draws on a more holistic view of systems and sustainability (Josling 2002). Supporters of multifunctional agriculture argue that it “is rich in diversity and traditions, intent on preserving the countryside, a living rural world that offers rural employment” (Barthélemy 2001).
