Cognitive blocks reduce farmers' ability to adopt crop diversification in Spain

Published 2022년 6월 27일

Tridge summary

A study by the Diverfarming project, involving researchers from the universities of Wageningen and Exeter, has explored the factors hindering the adoption of sustainable farming practices. The research, conducted through in-depth interviews with farmers and based on the example of crop rotation with legumes, has identified cognitive blocks as a key obstacle. These blocks occur when the costs of changing to a more sustainable practice are perceived to outweigh the benefits. The study suggests that socio-technical environments and profit frames can influence farmers' decision-making, potentially preventing the wide acceptance of diversified farming practices, despite their profitability. The findings are expected to help identify region-specific and common barriers to crop diversification and similar practices, supporting transitions towards sustainability in agrifood systems.

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Original content

A Diverfarming project team examines how institutional settings create cognitive blocks to farmers' decision-making when adopting sustainable farming practices Currently dominant agricultural practices have known negative effects such as loss of biodiversity, soil erosion or contamination of aquifers. It has been shown that the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices can address this situation, for example, by mitigating the effects of climate change. However, despite the need for change and the demonstrated benefits of more sustainable practices, the transition to these more respectful systems is very slow. Why? Why is the agricultural community cautious about incorporating these practices? According to the studies carried out to date, they are blockages, understood as self-reinforcing mechanisms that reproduce the status quo and prevent change. Until now, socioeconomic, technological and institutional blocks have been studied to understand the processes of ...

Source: Cuaderno Agrario