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Mandryk, M., Reidsma, P., Kanellopoulos, A., Groot, J. C. J., & van Ittersum, M. K. (2014). The role of farmers’ objectives in current farm practices and adaptation preferences: a case study in Flevoland, the Netherlands. Reg Environ Change, 14(4), 1463–1478.
Abstract: The diversity in farmers’ objectives and responses to external drivers is usually not considered in integrated assessment studies that investigate impacts and adaptation to climate and socio-economic change. Here, we present an approach to assess how farmers’ stated objectives relate to their currently implemented practices and to preferred adaptation options, and we discuss what this implies for assessments of future changes. We based our approach on a combination of multi-criteria decision-making methods. We consistently assessed the importance of farmers’ objectives and adaptation preferences from what farmers say (based on interviews), from what farmers actually do (by analysing current farm performance) and from what farmers want (through a selected alternative farm plan). Our study was performed for six arable farms in Flevoland, a province in the Netherlands. Based on interviews with farmers, we reduced the long list of possible objectives to the most important ones. The objectives we assessed included maximization of economic result and soil organic matter, and minimization of gross margin variance, working hours and nitrogen balance. In our sample, farmers’ stated preferences in objectives were often not fully reflected in realized farming practices. Adaptation preferences of farmers largely resembled their current performance, but generally involved a trend towards stated preferences. Our results suggest that in Flevoland, although farmers do have more objectives, in practical decision-making they focus on economic result maximization, while for strategic decision-making they account for objectives influencing long-term performance and indicators associated with sustainability, in this case soil organic matter.
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Mitter, H., Schoenhart, M., Larcher, M., & Schmid, E. (2018). The Stimuli-Actions-Effects-Responses (SAER)-framework for exploring perceived relationships between private and public climate change adaptation in agriculture. J. Environ. Manage., 209, 286–300.
Abstract: Empirical findings on actors’ roles and responsibilities in the climate change adaptation process are rare even though cooperation between private and public actors is perceived important to foster adaptation in agriculture. We therefore developed the framework SAER (Stimuli-Actions-Effects-Responses) to investigate perceived relationships between private and public climate change adaptation in agriculture at regional scale. In particular, we explore agricultural experts’ perceptions on (i) climatic and non climatic factors stimulating private adaptation, (ii) farm adaption actions, (iii) potential on-farm and off-farm effects from adaptation, and (iv) the relationships between private and public adaptation. The SAER-framework is built on a comprehensive literature review and empirical findings from semi structured interviews with agricultural experts from two case study regions in Austria. We find that private adaptation is perceived as incremental, systemic or transformational. It is typically stimulated by a mix of bio-physical and socio-economic on-farm and off-farm factors. Stimulating factors related to climate change are perceived of highest relevance for systemic and transformational adaptation whereas already implemented adaptation is mostly perceived to be incremental. Perceived effects of private adaptation are related to the environment, weather and climate, quality and quantity of agricultural products as well as human, social and economic resources. Our results also show that public adaptation can influence factors stimulating private adaptation as well as adaptation effects through the design and development of the legal, policy and organizational environment as well as the provision of educational, informational, financial, and technical infrastructure. Hence, facilitating existing and new collaborations between private and public actors may enable farmers to adapt effectively to climate change. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Climate change perception; Private adaptation, Public adaptation; Qualitative analysis; Adaptation stimulus; Adaptation effect; Transformational Adaptation; Adapting Agriculture; Farmers Perceptions; Change Scenarios; Decision-Making; Change Impacts; Land-Use; Vulnerability; Framework; Science
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Kipling, R. P., Topp, C. F. E., Bannink, A., Bartley, D. J., Blanco-Penedo, I., Cortignani, R., et al. (2019). To what extent is climate change adaptation a novel challenge for agricultural modellers. Env. Model. Softw., 120, Unsp 104492.
Abstract: Modelling is key to adapting agriculture to climate change (CC), facilitating evaluation of the impacts and efficacy of adaptation measures, and the design of optimal strategies. Although there are many challenges to modelling agricultural CC adaptation, it is unclear whether these are novel or, whether adaptation merely adds new motivations to old challenges. Here, qualitative analysis of modellers’ views revealed three categories of challenge: Content, Use, and Capacity. Triangulation of findings with reviews of agricultural modelling and Climate Change Risk Assessment was then used to highlight challenges specific to modelling adaptation. These were refined through literature review, focussing attention on how the progressive nature of CC affects the role and impact of modelling. Specific challenges identified were: Scope of adaptations modelled, Information on future adaptation, Collaboration to tackle novel challenges, Optimisation under progressive change with thresholds, and Responsibility given the sensitivity of future outcomes to initial choices under progressive change.
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Fan, F., Henriksen, C. B., & Porter, J. (2016). Valuation of ecosystem services in organic cereal crop production systems with different management practices in relation to organic matter input. Ecosystem Services, 22, 117–127.
Abstract: As the degradation of global ecosystem services (ES) continues in the last five decades, maintaining or even enhancing the ES of agro-ecosystem is one of the approaches to mitigate the global ES loss. This study provides the first estimate of an economic valuation of ES provided by organic cereal crop production systems with different management practices in relation to organic matter input (low, medium and high). Our results show that organic matter inputs significantly affect the total ES value on organic cereal crop production systems. The system with high organic matter input has the highest gross total ES value (US$ 1969 ha(-1) yr(-1)), followed by the low organic matter input system (US$ 1688 ha(-1) yr(-1)), and the lowest ES value are found in the medium organic matter input system (US$ 1492 ha(-1) yr(-1)). Organic matter inputs have strong positive relationship with non-marketable ES values, while this relationship was not found in marketable ES values. Monetizing the ES can be used by land managers and policy makers to adjust management practices in terms of organic matter input in cereal production system with a long term goal for sustainable agriculture.
Keywords: soil physical-properties; carbon sequestration; microbial biomass; farming systems; nitrogen mineralization; earthworm populations; straw; incorporation; economic valuation; agricultural soils; different tillage; Organic farming; Ecosystem services; Economic valuation; Management; Informed decision making
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