EC Library Guide on sustainable agriculture: Research articles
Research articles
- Actions speak louder than words: Adoption of sustainable farming practices based on an integrated model
Y-H Luh, M-H Tsai, Y-C Chang. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol.416, 2023.
Despite the ample efforts to address the attitude-behavior gap in individual pro-environmental actions, none of the previous research focused on the inconsistency between farmers' attitudes toward organic farming and their decisions to go green. Based on an integrated behavioral model of the TPB (theory of planned behavior) and ABC (attitude-behavior-context) theory, this study provides the first empirical evidence that uncovers the contextual and/or psychological factors driving farmers' attitude-behavior incongruity. The observed attitude-behavior relation indicates that there is a much higher share of conventional farmers exhibit attitude-behavior incongruity compared to their organic counterparts.
As predicted by the TPB-ABC model, farmers' tendency to exhibit inconsistency between attitude and behavior is found to increase with their perception of policy support. The working hypothesis that drivers of the discrepancy between farmers' positive attitude and actual adoption behavior are different for the two groups of farmers is also confirmed in this study. Specifically, in addition to the contextual factors, personal capabilities play a role in driving conventional farmers' sustaining use of synthetic inputs and lock-in to unsustainable farming practices. Further analyses of the influence of holding a positive attitude on conventional farmers’ economic performance suggest the presence of economic benefits associated with holding a favorable attitude toward organic farming.
- Assessing agricultural impact on greenhouse gases in the European Union: A climate-smart agriculture perspective
Vărzaru, Anca Antoaneta. Agronomy (Basel), vol. 14, no. 4, 2024.
With the increasing concern about climate change and its impacts on agriculture, understanding the dynamics of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU) agricultural sector is essential for devising effective mitigation strategies. This study aims to assess the impact of agriculture on GHG within the EU and to examine how climate-smart agricultural practices can affect these emissions. The research investigates the complex relationship between agricultural activities and GHG emissions within the European Union during the period of 2017–2022 using structural equation modeling based on data from Eurostat and the European Commission.
Furthermore, the study examines the influence of the digital economy on labor productivity in agriculture, recognizing the pivotal role of digital technologies in fostering climate-smart agricultural practices. The findings unveil significant positive influences encompassing the digital economy, agricultural productivity, agricultural output, and GHG emissions, underscoring the imperative of integrating climate-smart methodologies into agricultural frameworks. However, the influence of digital technologies is not significant as a result of opposing forces. Digital technologies exert positive indirect influences by increasing agricultural productivity and agricultural output, while they have negative influences by improving production processes through automation and precision agriculture. Digitalization and climate-smart agricultural practices have a significant potential to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the agricultural sector, contributing to food security and environmental protection by reducing GHG emissions. This study highlights the EU’s potential to achieve its environmental objectives through the reduction of GHG emissions and the enhancement of resilience within the agricultural sector, emphasizing the necessity of adopting climate-smart strategies.
- Data-driven agriculture and sustainable farming: Friends or foes?
Rozenstein, Offer, et al. Precision Agriculture, Vol.25 (1), 2024.
Sustainability in our food and fiber agriculture systems is inherently knowledge intensive. It is more likely to be achieved by using all the knowledge, technology, and resources available, including data-driven agricultural technology and precision agriculture methods, than by relying entirely on human powers of observation, analysis, and memory following practical experience. Data collected by sensors and digested by artificial intelligence (AI) can help farmers learn about synergies between the domains of natural systems that are key to simultaneously achieve sustainability and food security. In the quest for agricultural sustainability, some high-payoff research areas are suggested to resolve critical legal and technical barriers as well as economic and social constraints.
These include: the development of holistic decision-making systems, automated animal intake measurement, low-cost environmental sensors, robot obstacle avoidance, integrating remote sensing with crop and pasture models, extension methods for data-driven agriculture, methods for exploiting naturally occurring Genotype x Environment x Management experiments, innovation in business models for data sharing and data regulation reinforcing trust. Public funding for research is needed in several critical areas identified in this paper to enable sustainable agriculture and innovation.
- Exploring the motivation and challenges for land-users engaged in sustainable grazing in Europe
Rouet-Leduc, Julia, et al. Land Use Policy, vol. 141, 2024,
Grazing of both domestic and wild large herbivores can contribute to multiple ecosystem services. However, grazing systems strongly differ in the intensity of management and outcomes, and we define sustainable grazing as grazing which benefits multiple environmental ecosystem services. Previous studies have found that, in general, grazing systems with relatively low densities of animals, and with minimal and only targeted applications of deworming and other medicinal treatments, are most sustainable.
However, for people engaged in such grazing management, a key question is what are their challenges and motivation. We conducted interviews with 74 land-users, who are engaged in sustainable grazing management, in eight case-study areas in Europe. Employing the capability, opportunity and motivation-behaviour model (COM-B), we identified key motivation factors driving sustainable grazing management and the challenges which these land-users face. We found that capability and opportunity linked to land abandonment and rural exodus impact upon land-users’ management, especially in parts of South and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, challenges linked to the environment were particularly important in remote areas. In addition, we found economic aspects to be important in driving land-users’ behaviour, especially fiscal measures of the Common Agricultural Policy. Moreover, our results indicate that engagement in sustainable grazing management is often intrinsically motivated by the interest in nature conservation, intergenerational continuity and cohesion in the rural community. Based on these results, using the Behaviour Change Wheel, we identify key interventions that could facilitate and encourage the capabilities and opportunities to conduct sustainable grazing management. These include incentivising extensification using subsidies, developing direct market possibilities and removing administrative hurdles for practises related to very extensive and semi-wild grazing. •Land users performing sustainable grazing management in Europe face multiple challenges.•Social and physical opportunity are important driver of land users’ management.•Rural depopulation and land abandonment represent challenges for land users performing extensive management.•Rewilding with large herbivores faces different challenges, such as rules and regulations on large herbivores management.
- Farmers’ behavioural determinants of on-farm biodiversity management in Europe: A systematic review
Klebl, Fabian, et al. Agriculture and Human Values, vol. 41, no. 2, 2024
Agricultural intensification and landscape homogenisation are major drivers of biodiversity loss in European agricultural landscapes. Improvements require changes in farming practices, but empirical evidence on farmers’ motivations underlying their on-farm biodiversity management remains fragmented. To date, there is no aggregated overview of behavioural determinants that influence European farmers’ decisions to implement biodiversity-friendly farming practices. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by conducting a systematic literature review of 150 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2022.
We identified 108 potential determinants of farmers’ behaviour, which were integrated into a multilevel framework. The results show that the farmers’ decisions are complex and often non-directional processes, shaped by numerous external (at a society, landscape, community, and farm level) and internal factors. These factors are embedded in regional and cultural contexts. However, the analysis of study sites indicates that the spatial coverage of scientific evidence on biodiversity-friendly farming measures is uneven across Europe. Given the diversity of local and socio-cultural conditions, there is a need for public policies, including the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy, to address more specifically determinants encouraging biodiversity-friendly farm management. This entails reflecting culture-specific perspectives and incorporating experiential knowledge into multilevel policy design processes, as well as offering regionally adapted advice on measure implementation and biodiversity impacts.
- The future of sustainable farming: An evolutionary game framework for the promotion of agricultural green production technologies
Chen, Yusheng, et al.Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol.460, 2024.
In the context of global climate change and increasing population, transitioning to resource-efficient, environmentally friendly agricultural technologies is essential for sustainability. In this context, the present study is anchored in the theories of information asymmetry and bounded rationality. It constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model under market mechanisms and government guidance, facing the challenges of promoting green agricultural technologies among multiple actors. This model explores the strategic choices and dynamic evolution of these actors under economic incentives and risk perception.
The objective of the research is to reveal the dynamic evolutionary trends of stakeholder behavior under different policy intervention conditions and how governments can propel the promotion of green agricultural production technologies through policy instruments. To encompass the impact of historical decisions on the evolutionary process of green technology dissemination, this study employs a Delay Differential Equations (DDE) algorithm that considers historical time lags in its numerical simulations. Through stability analysis and DDE numerical simulations, the research identifies factors influencing the promotion of green agricultural production technologies. The findings indicate that under market mechanisms, there is a risk of “market failure” in the dissemination model of green agricultural technologies. Government participation can provide external incentive support, effectively enhancing the stability and efficiency of the evolutionary game system for promoting green technologies. Simulation results further suggest that government intervention can significantly improve the stability and efficiency of technology promotion. Economies of scale, initial willingness, risk perception, and subsidy intensity are decisive factors in technology adoption. Consequently, policymakers are advised to formulate precise and multifaceted subsidy strategies based on the varying needs of different actors, to stimulate engagement, reduce risk, and encourage widespread adoption of green technologies. This study lays a theoretical groundwork for smallholders and family farms to overcome technology adoption barriers, crucial for sustainable agricultural development. It provides a framework for understanding and addressing these challenges, guiding policymakers in crafting effective green agriculture policies to improve farming efficiency and sustainability.
- How to legally overcome the distinction between organic and conventional farming: Governance approaches for sustainable farming on 100% of the land
J. Stubenrauch, F. Ekardt, K. Heyl, et. al. Sustainable Production and Consumption, Vol.28, 2021.
Agricultural practices require a comprehensive transformation to preserve natural resources and secure high-quality food supply. Conventional and organic farming practices offer different pathways to further develop the sector. In particular, blending organic and conventional practices appears to be a promising pathway. However, proposals for implementing the latter are widely missing. This article addresses this research gap.
The article applies a qualitative governance analysis and develops a legal framework to enable the transformation of the agricultural sector with the European Union serving as example. The analysis finds that existing provisions for organic farming provide important benchmarks but require amendments. Precisely, the restriction of external inputs, including permitted fertiliser application and pest control, needs to be slightly softened to achieve long-term yield stability. In contrast, organic provisions on livestock densities require tightening in order to meet international environmental targets set by the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity. In doing so, the article not only proposes a forward-looking governance approach to organic farming, but develops a legally binding regulatory framework valid to all farmers in the EU. As a consequence, the distinction between organic and conventional farming could be finally overcome, and the agricultural sector be transformed to be truly sustainable.
- A decision support system for sustainable agriculture and food loss reduction under uncertain agricultural policy frameworks
Barons, Martine J., et al. Agriculture (Basel), vol. 14, no. 3, 2024.
The EU Green Deal requires the reduction in pesticides and fertilisers in food crop production, whilst the sustainable development goals require reductions in food loss and food waste. In a complex and interacting system like the food system, these goals are difficult to coordinate. Here, we show an approach using Bayesian network modelling for decision support.
Bayesian networks are important tools for modelling complex systems which may develop emergent behaviour and for providing quantitative comparisons for different candidate policies, approaches or interventions under the Integrating Decision Support System paradigm. Using lettuce as an exemplar crop, we demonstrate that expected food loss changes under different agricultural input reduction and integrated pest management combinations can be quantified to aid decision making for growers.
- One size does not fit all: The plurality of knowledge sources for transition to sustainable farming
M. Ayoub. Journal of Rural Studies, Vol.97, 2023.
Sustainable farming encompasses diverse practices that draw on various knowledge stocks. This knowledge must be adapted to suit the farmers’ crops, the local environment and the farming system. To achieve this requires farmers to build on their knowledge and invest in acquiring knowledge from external sources. It should not be assumed that different farmers cultivating different crops adopt the same knowledge sourcing strategies. Therefore, the present paper conducts a crop level analysis to study the relationship between knowledge sourcing and innovation in sustainable farming practices, for different crop categories
We exploit a French Ministry of Agriculture cross-sectional dataset on farming practices in 2017 and run a multivariate probit regression and equality of means test. The results reveal that the importance of different knowledge sources is ranked differently by different growers cultivating different crops and adopting different practices. The findings show, also, that farmers use the same knowledge sources with the same intensity to diversify their crop types. These results have two implications. First, since knowledge is a primary driver of innovation, farmers must capitalise on their knowledge. Second, policies must be flexible and co-designed with farmers in order to support them and respond to their needs. In formulating policy, an account should be taken of differences in the knowledge sourcing strategies related to different crops to ensure a quick transition to sustainable farming
- Regenerative farming and human wellbeing: Are subjective wellbeing measures useful indicators for sustainable farming systems?
K. Brown, J. Schirmer, P. Upton. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Vol.11, 2021.
It is increasingly argued that indicators of sustainable agriculture should include measures examining the health and wellbeing of farm managers. Given the farmer plays a crucial role in farm-based decision making and management, good farmer wellbeing may indicate a level of functioning across all components of the farm system - a defining aspect of sustainability. Despite this, few agricultural sustainability indicator frameworks measure farmer wellbeing. A key challenge is lack of exploration of the linkages between farming systems and wellbeing, and identification of measures that can shed light on the wellbeing benefits of ecological and economically sustainable farming systems.
The authors test the utility of subjective wellbeing (SWB) measures for inclusion as part of agricultural sustainability indicator frameworks, using regenerative agriculture (RA) as a case example. RA is a farming system which many claim has benefits for sustainability, and attempts to assess the sustainability of this approach has yielded conflicting results. Using a sample of Australian graziers, we examine the relationship between engagement in RA and several measures of SWB. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to assess whether engaging in RA predicted variance in SWB over and above age, gender and farm type. We found RA was associated with higher SWB for some, but not all, measures. The association was strongest for measures of eudaimonic wellbeing and satisfaction with health. Our findings suggest that SWB measures are sufficiently sensitive to provide meaningful insight into the wellbeing impacts of different agricultural systems, supporting the case for inclusion of such measures in sustainability frameworks.
- Regenerative farming as climate action
M.S. Alexanderson, H. Luke, D.J. Lloyd. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol.347, 2023.
Regenerative agriculture is an alternative approach to farming that has been gaining traction and interest among farmers due to its potential to reduce input costs, improve soil health, and increase the resilience of farming systems. This paper undertakes a practice-based analysis of farmers, applying a lens of regenerative agriculture. Surveys were developed as a part of a broader project using an established methodological framework. Topics were developed and adapted with input from local stakeholders before being mailed out to three farming regions across Australia (the Western Australian Wheatbelt, the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and Central West New South Wales).
The research clustered farmers into two groups: those who are using best-practices that fall inside the scope of regenerative agriculture, and those who are not. The similarities and differences in farmer attributes, as well as self-reported knowledge levels and information sources used by each group are explored. Results indicate that a belief in anthropogenic climate change may be one of the primary divides between the two groups, and therefore a possible driver of best-practice implementation. The findings provide insight into perceptions of regenerative agriculture for Australian farmers, and may assist with knowledge dissemination amongst those managing our environment.
- Sustainable farming practices adoption in agriculture supply chain: the role of indirect support versus cost subsidy
M. Ray, A.P. Singh, S.K. Jakhar; Annals of Operations Research, Vol. 9, 2023.
Due to the growing environmental concerns and associated health issues of using fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture, Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZNBF) is gaining traction to guide farmers toward sustainable farming practices. Therefore, to promote sustainability and also to safeguard the interests of small farmers who adopt ZNBF, the government in developing economies are adopting two prevalent intervention mechanisms: (i) cost subsidy and (ii) indirect support. However, little has been done to provide clear-cut directives on when to employ these intervention mechanisms, especially in the presence of heterogeneous farmers and yield uncertainty.
Therefore, in this paper, we consider a supply chain comprising a government, small farmers, and consumers, and we perform a comparative analysis to understand the prevailing conditions under which a particular policy outperforms another in maximizing social welfare by promoting ZBNF practices. We develop a government-farmer game-theoretic model wherein the government first selects the intervening mechanism to maximise social welfare, followed by farmers’ sowing decisions. Our analysis reveals that both policies positively impact the adoption of ZBNF practices; however, in the scenario of higher environmental damage, cost subsidy outperforms the indirect support mechanism. On the contrary, for medium and lower environmental damage, the choice of intervention depends on the proportion of environmentally conscious farmers. Specifically, the government should extend indirect support only if there exists a critical mass of environmentally conscious farmers. Our findings from analytical and numerical analysis assist the government in identifying and designing the appropriate intervention mechanisms whereas to farmers in their showing decisions.
- Sustainable food policies without sustainable farming? Challenges for agroecology-oriented farmers in relation to urban (sustainable) food policies
D. López-García, M. Carrascosa-García. Journal of Rural Studies, Vol.105, 2024.
Research on urban food policies has focused upon downstream processes, thus neglecting an integral perspective of food systems, being local and sustainable food production one challenge often mentioned. In turn, in the debates on governance, the focus has been placed upon urban settings and actors, with few studies integrating production into research on urban food policies. These biases limit the potential of research on urban food systems to promote a holistic approach towards sustainability. Within the framework of a project promoted by the Spanish Network of Municipalities for Agroecology (RMAe), the present research attempts to understand: (1) how agroecology-oriented farmers associations are positioned in relation to urban food policies, (2) the perceived needs of farmers' regarding urban food policies with a view to strengthening sustainable food systems, and (3) why and how the farmers' viewpoint is missing from urban food policies.
To this end the authors conducted 27 mixed interviews (in-depth interviews containing several survey questions) with agroecology-oriented farmers in 5 local associations linked to urban food policy co-production in Spain; and held two participatory workshops with their involvement. The results highlight the need to strengthen agroecology-oriented farmers’ associations, and to use public resources towards the promotion of specifically agroecological models of food production and local markets in order for these to actually benefit agroecological initiatives.
- Last Updated: Aug 20, 2024 11:53 AM
- URL: https://ec-europa-eu.libguides.com/sustainable-agriculture
- Print Page