Against the odds: Network and institutional pathways enabling agricultural diversification

Blesh, Jennifer; Mehrabi, Zia; Wittman, Hannah; Kerr, Rachel Bezner; James, D. G. L.; Madsen, Sidney; Smith, Olivia M.; Snapp, Sieglinde S.; Stratton, Anne Elise; Bakarr, Mohamed I.; Bicksler, Abram; Galt, Ryan E.; Garibaldi, Lucas A.; Gemmill-Herren, Barbara; Graß, Ingo; Isaac, Marney E.; John, Innocensia; Jones, Sarah K.; Kennedy, Christina M.; Klassen, Susanna; Levers, Christian; Rasmussen, Laura Vang; Kremen, Claire

doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2023.03.004

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 103 publications

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“…How can and should policy-makers and practitioners encourage the adoption of specific types of diversified farming systems? Although we recognize the benefits of diversification, it is also critical to acknowledge that many farmers are working “against the odds” ( 8 ). Structural factors are often the main barrier for adopting diversification practices, and include high land rents, the predominance of short-term leases, stringent food safety regulations, trade agreements exacerbating corporate concentration in global food systems, and other supply chain pressures ( 40 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Structural factors are often the main barrier for adopting diversification practices, and include high land rents, the predominance of short-term leases, stringent food safety regulations, trade agreements exacerbating corporate concentration in global food systems, and other supply chain pressures ( 40 ). Transitions to diversified farming systems often require financial support because of potential initial yield declines or implementation costs ( 8 ). Indeed, current policies often lock in simplified, conventional farming rather than enabling durable transitions to diversified farming, and investments are needed to develop appropriate seeds, crop mixes and rotations, and equipment to promote the profitability of diversified farms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biologically diversified farming systems, meaning those that intentionally increase the number of agricultural and nonagricultural crop and livestock species (and their genetic diversity), are a promising solution to bring about more sustainable food production because in theory they offer an ecological mechanism for higher resource use efficiency, less pollution, improved food sovereignty, and reduced vulnerability to climate change ( 6 – 8 ). Much research has examined the empirical effects of agricultural diversification on environmental outcomes ( 9 – 12 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture

Rasmussen,

Grass,

Mehrabi

et al. 2024

Science

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Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that applying multiple diversification strategies creates more positive outcomes than individual management strategies alone. To realize these benefits, well-designed policies are needed to incentivize the adoption of multiple diversification strategies in unison.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture

Rasmussen,

Grass,

Mehrabi

et al. 2024

Science

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“…In the U.S., farmer and community-level innovation is the main pathway for transitions to diversified farming systems because policies and markets that promote diversification are limited [23,24]. Here, we focused on a federal conservation program that could help alleviate the large structural constraints to cover cropping.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Farmers in the U.S. face major structural barriers to adoption of diversification practices like cover cropping due to federal farm policies (i.e. the Farm Bill), concentrated markets, and corporate power that work in concert to disproportionately support simplified cropping systems [23]. Adoption of conservation practices therefore typically occurs through grassroots networks that emphasize peer-to-peer learning [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Financial incentive programs and farm diversification with cover crops: assessing opportunities and challenges

Surdoval,

Jain,

Blair

et al. 2024

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Farmers in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. face tremendous pressure to reduce nutrient losses from agriculture. Increasing crop rotation diversity with cover crops can support ecological processes that maintain productivity while improving multiple ecosystem functions, including nutrient retention. We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand how financial incentive programs impact transitions to cover cropping in Michigan. Michigan farms span a wide range of soil types, climate conditions, and cropping systems that create opportunities for cover crop adoption in the state. We tested the relationship between Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) payments for cover crops and cover crop adoption between 2008-2019, as measured by remote sensing. We coupled this quantitative analysis with interviews with 21 farmers in the Lake Erie watershed to understand farmers’ perspectives on how incentive programs could support greater cover crop adoption. Panel fixed effects regressions showed that EQIP increased winter cover crop presence. Every EQIP dollar for cover crops was associated with a 0.01 hectare increase in winter cover, while each hectare enrolled in an EQIP contract for cover crops was associated with a 0.86 – 0.93 hectare increase in winter cover. In semi-structured interviews, farmers reported that financial incentives were instrumental to cover crop adoption, but that program outcomes fall short of intended goals due to policy design problems that may limit widespread participation and effectiveness. Thus, strengthening EQIP and related conservation programs could support broader transitions to diversified farming systems that are more sustainable and resilient.

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Mapping lock-ins and enabling environments for agri-food sustainability transitions in Europe

Williams,

Bürgi,

Debonne

et al. 2024

Sustain Sci

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European agri-food systems must overcome structural lock-ins to achieve more sustainable modes of production and consumption. Yet European regions are highly diverse, and we lack understanding of how different regional characteristics may enable or inhibit sustainability transitions. This hinders the development of context-tailored governance strategies. In this paper, we identify and apply sets of spatial indicators to map the regional potentials for agri-food transitions. We first analyse the strength of lock-in to the incumbent agro-industrial paradigm. We then map the enabling environments for two alternative agri-food networks—multifunctional value chains and civic food networks—that each embed distinct social–ecological qualities of agriculture and food. Results demonstrate a large spatial diversity in transition potential, with stronger lock-ins throughout North and Western Europe and stronger enabling environments for agri-food transitions in Italy, France, Switzerland, and Southwest Germany. We find that lock-ins are strongest in livestock-dominated regions and are associated with higher GHG emissions and excess nitrogen levels. Our study demonstrates the need for coordinated public policies that (1) leverage region-specific transition potentials and (2) enable complementary innovations in market-based and community-led networks.

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Against the odds: Network and institutional pathways enabling agricultural diversification

Cited by 12 publications

References 103 publications

Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture

Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture

Financial incentive programs and farm diversification with cover crops: assessing opportunities and challenges

Mapping lock-ins and enabling environments for agri-food sustainability transitions in Europe

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