Ervin, David E. (author), Frisvold, George B. (author), and Portland State Univ, Inst Sustainable Solut, 241 Cramer Hall,1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 USA
Portland State Univ, Environm Management & Econ, 241 Cramer Hall,1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 USA
Univ Arizona, Dept Agr & Resource Econ, 319 Cesar Chavez Bldg, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016
Published:
USA: WEED SCI SOC AMER, 810 EAST 10TH ST, LAWRENCE, KS 66044-8897 USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08227
Mills, Jane (author), Gaskell, Peter (author), Ingram, Julie (author), Dwyer, Janet (author), Reed, Matt (author), Short, Christopher (author), and University of Gloucestershire
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2016-06-15
Published:
United Kingdom: Springer Nature
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 130 Document Number: D11282
16 pages., via online journal, The United Kingdom’s approach to encouraging environmentally positive behaviour has been three-pronged, through voluntarism, incentives and regulation, and the balance between the approaches has fluctuated over time. Whilst financial incentives and regulatory approaches have been effective in achieving some environmental management behavioural change amongst farmers, ultimately these can be viewed as transient drivers without long-term sustainability. Increasingly, there is interest in ‘nudging’ managers towards voluntary environmentally friendly actions. This approach requires a good understanding of farmers’ willingness and ability to take up environmental activities and the influences on farmer behavioural change. The paper aims to provide insights from 60 qualitative farmer interviews undertaken for a research project into farmers’ willingness and ability to undertake environmental management, particularly focusing on social psychological insights. Furthermore, it explores farmers’ level of engagement with advice and support networks that foster a genuine interest, responsibility and a sense of personal and social norm to sustain high quality environmental outcomes. Two conceptual frameworks are presented for usefully exploring the complex set of inter-relationships that can influence farmers’ willingness to undertake environmental management practices. The research findings show how an in-depth understanding of farmer’s willingness and ability to adopt environmental management practices and their existing level of engagement with advice and support are necessary to develop appropriate engagement approaches to achieve sustained and durable environmental management.
