Abstract
Farmers have an important role in problematizing and politicizing drought. Following the argumentative turn in policy analysis, the paper analyzes the process of problem definition by means of a framing analysis, zooming in on four major drought events covered in German farming sector journals that are published by farmers’ associations. The article compares the framing of the four most-cited drought events—1947, 1975–76, 2003, and 2011–12—in order to better understand how problematization has changed over time, and how farmers justify and rationalize calls for political action. Three research questions are answered: What problems are named by farmers journals when describing drought events, and what solutions are proposed? Who is considered responsible for problems and solutions? How has framing of drought changed over time? The paper shows that farmers frame drought as a matter of justice and assert their perceived right to subsidies, compensation, farmer-friendly tax policies, and market regulations by the state. From 2003, drought has been framed in association with climate change. The data findings suggest that there is no post-productivist, post-exceptionalist paradigm shift connected to proposed drought policy solutions. Drought framings appear to be persistent, giving priority to assured farmers’ incomes, not water distribution. Considering the lobby power of farmers’ associations in Germany, this finding helps to understand why state interventions remain the same over time.
Highlights
In 2018, a large part of Europe was hit by a drought and a heat wave
The lobby power of the DBV as dominant lobby group for German farmers is characterized by a lack of political counterparts and political affiliation to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) [6], a Christian-democratic, liberal-conservative political party in Germany that is traditionally closely linked to farmers as core voters
The findings were linked to four European agricultural paradigms that are discussed within political science literature in order to understand whether drought politicization by farmers supports a non-exceptionalist agricultural paradigm shift
Summary
In 2018, a large part of Europe was hit by a drought and a heat wave. Never before had it been so dry, on average, in Germany as in the period from April to July 2018 [1]. Droughts are expected to become even more frequent and more severe. There is no drought directive, neither on a national nor on the European level. Ad-hoc state responses characterize drought management in Germany so far. It is assumed that extreme events are so-called focusing events and are suitable for influencing agenda-setting processes, including having the potential for changing attitudes and beliefs, as well as political decisions. Droughts as extreme events may trigger moments of policy change
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