Rural protests in Britain and the enigmatic significance of globalization

The aim of this contribution to the discussion of Anglo-German agricultural and rural themes is to analyze conceptually issues surrounding multifunctional agricultural pathways in the UK and Germany, and to propose a framework for closer investigation of multifunctional agriculture in the two countries. First, we will discuss recent debates on the conceptualization of what “multifunctional agriculture” means, especially with a view towards using a “normative” view of multifunctionality. We will then discuss similarities and differences in multifunctional pathways between the UK and Germany. The chapter concludes with a discussion of key steps necessary for the development of a comparative study on multifunctional quality in the UK and Germany, arguing that any assessment of multifunctional agriculture needs adoption of “multifunctional” research methodologies.