Publications (FIS)

An exploration of the motivation of farmers to participate in collective agri-environmental schemes to support a more effective landscape governance

authored by: Rena Barghusen
supervised by: Bettina Matzdorf
Abstract: The dissertation explores a new governance approach to improve the provision of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. The work is based on five peer-reviewed papers that were published in international journals. The framework text at hand informs on the research background, related theories, and methodological approaches, before discussing how the five papers contribute to the overarching questions and objectives of the dissertation. Agri-environmental schemes are designed to incentivize farmers to implement more environmentally friendly farming practices. They are conceptualized as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) that reward farmers for voluntary action. However, conventional agri- environmental schemes have been criticized for insufficient environmental effectiveness and research increasingly analyzes the potential of governance alternatives to improve performance of the schemes. In this context, collective agri-environmental schemes are designed to address the spatial coordination and targeting of agri-environmental management and to better incentivize farmers. Farmer groups are contracted by the government to coordinate individual on-farm management according to environmental goals on a landscape scale. The dissertation focuses on the case of the Netherlands, where a collective approach has fully replaced the conventional scheme. The research classifies as social-ecological, while the main concepts applied belong to the field of Institutional Economics. This dissertation contributes to a better understanding of the structures and processes of collective agri-environmental schemes and how they are effective. Thereby, a focus is placed on mechanisms to improve farmers’ motivation for participation in the schemes, as one component of effectiveness. The first publication is an institutional analysis of multiple cases of innovative governance approaches, including examples of collective agri-environmental schemes beyond the Netherlands. By focusing on actor types involved and the roles they perform in steering agri- environmental management, this paper demonstrates the great diversity of the stakeholders involved. It discusses how the provision of environmental public goods is impacted by the assignment of certain roles to specific actors such as farmer groups. The second publication is a network analysis on how stakeholders interact in collective agri- environmental schemes. The networks around two farmer groups from the Netherlands are analyzed in detail to uncover how social capital is built and contributes to effective governance. Thereby, a comparison of a bottom-up and a top-down initiated farmer group is performed. The paper shows the different pathways how farmer groups successfully maintain internal relations while collaborating with diverse stakeholders. The third publication explores the various motivations farmers have to participate in collective schemes. Based on a review of literature, a framework for motivational factors has been developed. The framework was verified for the Dutch case within a workshop and applied in a survey among experts of the Dutch scheme. The paper shows that farmers are motivated by economic and environmental considerations, as well as socially based factors. Publications four and five explore farmers’ viewpoints on collective schemes by investigating farmers who participate in the Dutch scheme. The fourth publication analyzes farmers’ viewpoints on collective schemes for a specific type of agri-environmental management. By focusing on rewetting measures on peatlands, the paper shows that farmers demand more than financial compensation to engage. Operating in farmer groups may facilitate the provision of information and encouragement. The fifth publication analyzes farmers’ viewpoints on collective schemes including all types of agri-environmental management. It reveals different perspectives that can be characterized as economically dominated, environmentally driven, or dominated by the belief in an added value of collective schemes. The synthesis of findings from the five publications reveals that the socially based motivation of farmers is important for the effectiveness of collective agri-environmental schemes. It elaborates on how this is activated by social capital embodied in interaction between actors. The central role of farmer groups is highlighted. It is further discussed whether bottom-up farmer groups perform better than top-down initiated groups. Since the dissertation has an application-oriented aim, conclusions are drawn on design features that are important when introducing a new collective scheme. These considerations are applied to an actual case to show how research can inform practice.
Organisation(s): Institute of Environmental Planning
Type: Doctoral thesis
No. of pages: 137
Publication date: 03.02.2025
Publication status: Published
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.15488/18483 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@phdthesis{b8cb8700fc124011871632e86f340c73,
title = "An exploration of the motivation of farmers to participate in collective agri-environmental schemes to support a more effective landscape governance",
abstract = "The dissertation explores a new governance approach to improve the provision of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. The work is based on five peer-reviewed papers that were published in international journals. The framework text at hand informs on the research background, related theories, and methodological approaches, before discussing how the five papers contribute to the overarching questions and objectives of the dissertation. Agri-environmental schemes are designed to incentivize farmers to implement more environmentally friendly farming practices. They are conceptualized as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) that reward farmers for voluntary action. However, conventional agri- environmental schemes have been criticized for insufficient environmental effectiveness and research increasingly analyzes the potential of governance alternatives to improve performance of the schemes. In this context, collective agri-environmental schemes are designed to address the spatial coordination and targeting of agri-environmental management and to better incentivize farmers. Farmer groups are contracted by the government to coordinate individual on-farm management according to environmental goals on a landscape scale. The dissertation focuses on the case of the Netherlands, where a collective approach has fully replaced the conventional scheme. The research classifies as social-ecological, while the main concepts applied belong to the field of Institutional Economics. This dissertation contributes to a better understanding of the structures and processes of collective agri-environmental schemes and how they are effective. Thereby, a focus is placed on mechanisms to improve farmers{\textquoteright} motivation for participation in the schemes, as one component of effectiveness. The first publication is an institutional analysis of multiple cases of innovative governance approaches, including examples of collective agri-environmental schemes beyond the Netherlands. By focusing on actor types involved and the roles they perform in steering agri- environmental management, this paper demonstrates the great diversity of the stakeholders involved. It discusses how the provision of environmental public goods is impacted by the assignment of certain roles to specific actors such as farmer groups. The second publication is a network analysis on how stakeholders interact in collective agri- environmental schemes. The networks around two farmer groups from the Netherlands are analyzed in detail to uncover how social capital is built and contributes to effective governance. Thereby, a comparison of a bottom-up and a top-down initiated farmer group is performed. The paper shows the different pathways how farmer groups successfully maintain internal relations while collaborating with diverse stakeholders. The third publication explores the various motivations farmers have to participate in collective schemes. Based on a review of literature, a framework for motivational factors has been developed. The framework was verified for the Dutch case within a workshop and applied in a survey among experts of the Dutch scheme. The paper shows that farmers are motivated by economic and environmental considerations, as well as socially based factors. Publications four and five explore farmers{\textquoteright} viewpoints on collective schemes by investigating farmers who participate in the Dutch scheme. The fourth publication analyzes farmers{\textquoteright} viewpoints on collective schemes for a specific type of agri-environmental management. By focusing on rewetting measures on peatlands, the paper shows that farmers demand more than financial compensation to engage. Operating in farmer groups may facilitate the provision of information and encouragement. The fifth publication analyzes farmers{\textquoteright} viewpoints on collective schemes including all types of agri-environmental management. It reveals different perspectives that can be characterized as economically dominated, environmentally driven, or dominated by the belief in an added value of collective schemes. The synthesis of findings from the five publications reveals that the socially based motivation of farmers is important for the effectiveness of collective agri-environmental schemes. It elaborates on how this is activated by social capital embodied in interaction between actors. The central role of farmer groups is highlighted. It is further discussed whether bottom-up farmer groups perform better than top-down initiated groups. Since the dissertation has an application-oriented aim, conclusions are drawn on design features that are important when introducing a new collective scheme. These considerations are applied to an actual case to show how research can inform practice.",
author = "Rena Barghusen",
note = "I am also grateful having received support and funding from ZALF and the opportunity to be part of the EU-Horizon-2020 project Contracts2.0 with an inspiring international exchange.",
year = "2025",
month = feb,
day = "3",
doi = "10.15488/18483",
language = "English",
publisher = "Leibniz Universit{\"a}t Hannover",
school = "Leibniz University Hannover",
}