Ohne Nahversorgung? Plädoyer für einen neuen Gesellschaftsvertrag zur Gewährleistung der Zukunft ländlicher Räume

Abstract

Rural areas in Germany are facing severe challenges due to demographic and structural changes. The focus of this paper is on local food supply which is considered to be a key factor in the persistence and sustainability of rural areas. The results presented are derived from a joint research project carried out in Lower Saxony, Germany, between 2012 and 2013. The empirical analysis was conducted in three regions with very differing characteristics, ranging from growing to shrinking and from suburban to peripheral rural areas. The aim of the research project was to find out whether and to which extent social networks as well as the readiness to cooperate among stakeholders – in view of difficult demographic and economic preconditions – may contribute to context-specific solutions for local food supply in the affected municipalities. In doing so, three stakeholder groups were envisaged in the project: (i) retailers as food providers; (ii) population as customers; and (iii) municipalities as planning authorities and guarantors of service security. In the course of the project it became obvious rather quickly that the culture of communication and readiness to cooperate, as well as openness to social innovation, offer a crucial basis for survival.Against this background, the following article aims to develop a theoretical basis, derived from the deconstruction of common mentalities and action systems, and creating in this way the precondition for (social) innovation. Firstly, we discuss for what purpose and in which way local food supply may be secured in rural areas in the long run. Secondly, following an overview of the broad complexity of problems in rural areas, we debate development options for rural areas. Thirdly, we present some thoughts concerning the need for a new societal contract which is based upon a changed understanding of economy and work in order to explore how the future of rural areas maybe shaped by social innovations. The concluding chapter presents the vision of supporting local food supply as a part of public services and as a new common task in which rural areas could serve as real laboratories for the development of sustainable solutions.English title: Existing without Local Food Supply? Considerations on the Sustainability of Rural Areas