On the basis of summarized experiences in agricultural landscape planning of the few last years in Switzerland the landscape evaluation and the implementation process are analysed; the principles of a 'holistic' approach are outlined. It is shown that, epistemologically, objectivity in valuation and priority-setting emerges out of a dialectic cognition process between different poles (complementary aspects of different landscape scales, different viewpoints on respective interests, different hierarchy levels in project organization structure). Each sphere of complementarity needs its adapted methods and approaches, which are presented and discussed on referring to participative planning project examples. The results of such projects so far, compared with conventional approaches, have turned out encouragingly-both from the point of view of local people and of planners/governmental authorities. Nevertheless, several crucial conditions, challenges and obstacles have to be taken into account. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
