Do Agricultural Advisory Services in Europe Have the Capacity to Support the Transition to Healthy Soils?

Ingram, Julie; Mills, Jane; Black, Jasmine E.; Chivers, Charlotte‐Anne; Aznar-Sánchez, José A.; Elsen, Annemie; Frąc, Magdalena; López-Felices, Belén; Mayer-Gruner, Paula; Skaalsveen, Kamilla; Stolte, Jannes; Tits, Mia

doi:10.3390/land11050599

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 71 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In line with others, we contend that it is unlikely that increasing knowledge production and knowledge transfer alone will be sufficient to ensure a transition to sustainable soil management (Dalkir, 2005; Ingram et al, 2022; Ingram & Mills, 2019; Rust et al, 2020; Thorsøe et al, 2019). It also needs to be recognised that knowledge is embedded in a wider socio‐material context that enables or constrains the implementation of sustainable soil management, for example, size and type of farm machinery or mode of regulation (Huber‐Stearns et al, 2017; Thorsøe et al, 2022; Visser et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…However, often these findings are neither directly applicable to practitioners nor are the underlying data or models (Hessel et al, 2022; Labarthe & Beck, 2022; Potokar et al, 2021). Regarding knowledge use in farming, further implementation barriers are complex and involve fragmentation of advisory services as well as lacking end users' capacities (Ingram et al, 2022; Ingram & Mills, 2019). With respect to SOC, Frelih‐Larsen et al (2017) in a stakeholder consultation found that knowledge gaps are particularly about farm‐level management practices, their effects, economic costs and benefits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sustainable soil management: Soil knowledge use and gaps in Europe

Thorsøe,

Keesstra,

De Boever

et al. 2023

European J Soil Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soils are the foundation of agricultural production, ecosystem functioning and human well‐being. Bridging soil knowledge gaps and improving the knowledge system is crucial to meet the growing EU soil policy ambitions in the face of climate change and the ongoing trend in soil degradation. The objective of this article is to assess the current state of knowledge, knowledge use and knowledge gaps concerning sustainable soil management in Europe. This study is based on interviews with 791 stakeholders and 254 researchers and on a comprehensive review of >1800 documents carried out under the European Joint Programme on agricultural soils. Despite differences in stakeholder groups, the conclusions are rather consistent and complementary. We identified major knowledge gaps with respect to (1) soil carbon stocks, (2) soil degradation and fertility and (3) strategies for improved soil management. Transcending these three areas, particularly the loss of soil organic carbon, peatland degradation and soil compaction, are most critical, thus, we stress the urgency of developing more models and monitoring programmes on soils. Stakeholders further report that insufficient transfer of existing soil research findings to practitioners is a hindrance to the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. In addition to knowledge production, soil knowledge gaps may be addressed by considering seven recommendations from the stakeholders: (1) raising awareness, (2) strengthening knowledge brokers, (3) improving relevance of research activities and resource allocation for land users, (4) peer‐to‐peer communication, (5) targeting advice and information, (6) improving knowledge access, and (7) providing incentives. We argue that filling and bridging knowledge gaps should be a priority for policymakers and the insights provided in the article may help prioritise research and dissemination needs enabling a transition to more sustainable soil management in Europe.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable soil management: Soil knowledge use and gaps in Europe

Thorsøe,

Keesstra,

De Boever

et al. 2023

European J Soil Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The authors of numerous studies emphasize the importance of improving agriculture in the direction of sustainability [1][2][3][4]. The need for sustainable agricultural solutions that are based on a balance between economic, ecological, and social aspects is becoming more and more pronounced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The renewed CAP emphasizes the strengthening of knowledge transfer and highlights the importance of the role of the agricultural advisor in the improvement of agriculture [7]. The important role and significant potential for improving the development of sustainable agriculture is beginning to be seen in agricultural advisory services [3,4,[8][9][10]. The advisory service is included as an important segment in the creation of the agricultural innovation system (AIS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sisk [14] states that if advisors show insufficient knowledge and skills for work, it is questionable whether the state, as an organizer of education, performs this work adequately. In support of this, a lack of education and training was noted, which would enable the advisory staff to acquire the necessary competencies for spreading sustainable approaches to agriculture [1,2,4,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Transformation of the Education System in Agricultural Advisory towards Sustainability—A Case Study in Slovenia

Nikšić,

Pavić,

Rozman

2023

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The new role that agricultural advisory plays in innovation processes and the development of agriculture towards sustainability requires the improvement of its performance. The basic prerequisite for realizing the potential of agricultural advisory in the areas mentioned is a strongly developed education system that will enable the development of strong advisory capacities. This survey is based on three areas of the education system: organization of education, satisfaction with educators, and evaluation of education and the potential of individuals in the organization. The basic principles on which the education system is based are outdated and, therefore, inadequate for developing the performance that the new role of agricultural advisors in innovation processes requires. Multiple regression analysis results indicate that a greater evaluation of education and the potential of individuals in the organization implies greater involvement of agricultural advisors in the selection of topics that will be provided to them through education and more advanced performances of educators responsible for educating. One-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) determined that there are no statistically significant differences, at the p < 0.05 level, in the level of perceived competence of advisors for sustainable agricultural practices depending on the frequency of attending education.

show abstract

From values to actions in agriculture: A web of actors shape Norwegian farmers' enactment of relational values

Byfuglien,

Hirons,

Milford

2024

People and Nature

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A sustainable transition in the agri‐food system holds society‐wide implications. Farmers play central roles in responding to climate change, environmental degradation and sustainable food production. Still, factors underlying how farmers make decisions and manage their farms are often marginalised in efforts to develop policies to tackle these issues. The concept of relational values, defined as preferences, principles and virtues based on human–nature relationships, recently emerged to expand understandings of environmental decision‐making in general and that of farmers specifically. As agricultural landscapes are dynamic and characterised by the interaction of various actors with diverse values and interests, how these interactions influence farmers' decisions remains underexplored. This paper engages with these issues by using qualitative data on Norwegian horticultural farmers' motivations, opportunities and challenges in farming. We find that their relational values (a) are influential in shaping farmers' decisions about farm management and (b) are continually unfolding and embedded within a web of other actors, including grocers, retailers, consumers, farm advisors and policymakers, which shapes farmers' enactment of their relational values. In the context of agriculture, this research underlines the utility of an in‐depth understanding of relational values as embedded in wider social systems to enrich analyses of farmer decision‐making. How farmers' relational values are shaped and realised through interactions with other actors holds important implications for policy and programming to navigate tensions between different interests and actors for sustainable and long‐term change. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

show abstract

Do Agricultural Advisory Services in Europe Have the Capacity to Support the Transition to Healthy Soils?

Cited by 11 publications

References 71 publications

Sustainable soil management: Soil knowledge use and gaps in Europe

Sustainable soil management: Soil knowledge use and gaps in Europe

Transformation of the Education System in Agricultural Advisory towards Sustainability—A Case Study in Slovenia

From values to actions in agriculture: A web of actors shape Norwegian farmers' enactment of relational values

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About