Negotiating social licence to farm: what, where, and how

The objective of this research was to develop an inventory of ‘places and spaces’ within which social licence is negotiated (where), methods of negotiation (how), and topics of negotiation (what). A literature review was followed by an analysis for secondary data sources and public places.

Producers and ‘publics’ have a range of options when it comes to negotiating social licence to farm. Developing a good match between the complexity of the issue, the places and spaces where the negotiation takes place, and how negotiations are undertaken may be key to more productive and less adversarial outcomes.

What is being negotiated: This is diverse. Many of the issues at the centre of these negotiations of social licence are already well known and include, for example, animal welfare and environmental degradation. Some aspects are in the process of transitioning from informal negotiations of social licence to farm, to more formal legislation, such as the passing of the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land as urban areas encroach on versatile and high-class soils.

However, there are also issues included in the inventory that may represent the seeds of future negotiations on food security and food sovereignty, the democratisation of food and fibre, localisation, and kai ora (‘be healthy / have life’). Seeing these seeds and initiating voluntary codes of conduct or standards through certification and/or verification may be a way of proactively managing social licence along the journey from seed to statute.

Where (places and spaces): This part of the inventory documents how the spaces and places where social licence is negotiated are diverse, ranging from ‘on farm’ (agritourism, pick-your-own, etc.), through markets of various kinds, on roadsides, to specific areas where the adverse effects of farming (e.g. declining water quality) are being experienced. We include various media as a type of space here too.

How (programmes and protests): This part highlights that there are numerous ways of negotiating social licence. Some are productive, in the sense of both gaining approval by supplying much-needed or highly valued food and fibre and accentuating the positive. Negotiations can also be prolonged, complex, event-driven, emotive, or adversarial, and they can invoke different versions of ‘the social’, from small groups protesting over localised issues to broader movements.