A new SHOWCASE-supported paper seeks to fill in the knowledge gap on the behavioural determinants shaping European farmers' decisions to implement biodiversity-friendly farming practices. With agricultural intensification and landscape homogenisation identified as major drivers of biodiversity loss in European agricultural landscapes, understanding these determinants is especially important.

A systematic literature review of 150 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2022 was carried out by the researchers. They noted the complexity of farmers' decision-making processes, which are frequently influenced by a wide range of internal and external factors at the societal, landscape, community, and farm levels. Regional and cultural settings further play into these determinants.

The study emphasises the necessity for policies that address the specific determinants enabling biodiversity-friendly farm management, taking into account the diversity of local and sociocultural situations.

Read the full paper here.

Photo: Multilevel framework of factors infuencing farmers’ decisions to implement BFFM. Source Authors’ compilation, based on n=150 studies. Klebl, F., Feindt, P.H. & Piorr, A. Farmers’ behavioural determinants of on-farm biodiversity management in Europe: a systematic review. Agric Hum Values (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10505-8.