Relevance of portfolio effects in adopting sustainable farming practices

The concept of sustainable intensification (SI) unifies ecologically and socially sustainable agricultural practises while preserving economically viable farm businesses. To fully exploit their ecological advantages, smart mixes of SI measures at both the farm and local scale are required. This paper investigates farmers' adoption decisions using a mixed-methods approach for the northern German Plain. Based on focus group discussion, we first identify the study region's relevant SI measures. Using an existing data set, we then quantitatively assess the complementarity of the locally relevant measures using a multivariate probit model. Finally, we use a path modelling approach to explore how the perceived economic and environmental benefits of farmers' applied measures relate to their intentions to broaden their SI portfolios through complementary practices. We find support for complementary use of measures and positive reinforcements of current and intended use of measures. We conclude that such paths are relevant for analysing adoption behaviour. Such expanded and contextualised behavioural approaches are necessary to develop intervention schemes for upscaling sustainable farming practices.

Automated summary

The concept of sustainable intensification aims to unify ecologically and socially sustainable agricultural practices while maintaining economically viable farm businesses. This study investigates farmers' adoption decisions using a mixed-methods approach and identifies the complementary use of measures and positive reinforcement of current and intended practices. The findings suggest that such analytical paths are relevant for understanding adoption behavior and developing intervention schemes for sustainable farming practices.