Farmers value on-farm ecosystem services as important, but what are the impediments to participation in PES schemes?

Page, G. William; Bellotti, William D

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.02.029

Cited by 82 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…These results are similar to those of other studies that show farmers generally perceive several ecosystem services as being important for productivity and sustainability [15,16,19]. Although the farmers acknowledged the main important services, the degree to which they obtained the services and perceived the importance of the services differed.…”

Section: Ecosystem Services Perception: Importancesupporting

confidence: 88%

“…In Section 2, we used a list of 17 ecosystem services ( Figure S1) that were identified from the literature [2,16,[44][45][46]. The relative value of the obtained ES and the importance of the ES were assessed on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 10 (low to high).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although PES programs typically target a single service [28,58], the respondents in this study who had reached an educational level higher than high school would prefer to focus on bundled services. Unlike the outright purchase of land or permanent easements, many PES programs are short-term [16,33]. Most farmers in Mengyin County were willing to be committed for a period of more than 5 years.…”

Section: Sufficient Conditions For the Design Of Pes Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Analyzing Farmers’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and PES Schemes within Agricultural Landscapes in Mengyin County, China: Transforming Trade-Offs into Synergies

et al. 2017

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Abstract:Researchers aspire to strike a balance between the production and consumption of ecosystem services (ES) in agriculture for long-term farm sustainability. One approach is to provide payments for ecosystem services (PES) through government programs. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate ecosystem services and use the evaluated information to determine what policy designs could effectively induce more services in agricultural landscapes. This research uses a theoretical and analytical framework. In this framework, farmers' perceptions of the obtained ES, importance of ES, design rules of PES programs and management practices of PES programs are identified in Mengyin County by using surveys. The results show: (1) farmers could possibly recognize the limitations of the obtained ES and reduce their demand appropriately; (2) regulating services (e.g., pollination and biological pest control) provision is central to transforming trade-offs into synergies among ecosystem services; (3) farmers should not only attach great importance to the maintenance of soil fertility and health but also to the maintenance of semi-natural habitat, and the adoption of such an attitude could positively affect their behavior to maximize synergies among ES; and (4) farmers are program implementers; if they have a better understanding of the perceptions of ES and PES programs, the theoretical and analytical framework could help farmers, policy-makers and relevant institutions design effective schemes.

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Section: Ecosystem Services Perception: Importancesupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sufficient Conditions For the Design Of Pes Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Analyzing Farmers’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and PES Schemes within Agricultural Landscapes in Mengyin County, China: Transforming Trade-Offs into Synergies

et al. 2017

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“…Such factors could be too low payment levels, inadequate or inflexible contract terms, too much bureaucracy, high transaction costs, etc. [36,55,58,65], ultimately averting participation.…”

Section: The Importance Of Agri-environmental Information and Assistancementioning

confidence: 99%

How Local Intermediaries Improve the Effectiveness of Public Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: The Role of Networks and Agri-Environmental Assistance

et al. 2015

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Large governmental payments for ecosystem services programs (PES) have frequently been criticized for their limited environmental effectiveness. The use of local intermediaries has been considered as one possibility for improving the environmental effectiveness of such programs. German Landcare Associations (LCAs) have been identified as one intermediary that holds the potential to positively influence the implementation of agri-environmental measures (AEMs). This paper empirically assesses the involvement of LCAs in the context of AEM implementation in Germany. An online questionnaire was distributed to all LCAs in Germany. In a first step, we examine if LCAs (1) provide social networks between stakeholders and (2) provide agri-environmental information and assistance to farmers. In a second step, the LCAs assess (3) their perception of how strongly their work influences farmers' participation in PES schemes and (4) if they pursue the spatial targeting of AEMs. In a third step, we relate the relative level of social networks and the provision of agri-environmental information and assistance to their stated influence on farmers' participation in and spatial targeting of AEMs. Finally we derive overall conclusions on how intermediaries can enhance the effectiveness of PES programs in general.

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“…On the one hand, the focus could be on the preservation of gravity-fed surface irrigation systems themselves as an agro-cultural heritage [81,82]. On the other hand, the focus could be on the nature conservation benefits that result from these systems [83,84].…”

Section: Reviving Interest In Gravity-fed Surface Irrigation Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for Improving Gravity-Fed Surface Irrigation Systems in Mediterranean European Contexts

Masseroni

Ricart

Cartagena

et al. 2017

Water

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Traditionally, most irrigation practices in Southern Europe have been based on gravity-fed surface irrigation systems. Currently, these systems remain a relevant typology in the European Union (EU) member states of the Mediterranean areas, where it is often the only sustainable method for farmers due to the small size of agricultural holdings, their reduced capacity and readiness to invest and the low ratio between yield profits and irrigation costs. In the last several years, in response to European and national directives, surface irrigation has garnered increasing attention at the political and bureaucratic levels due to frequent criticisms of its postulated low efficiency and high water wastage. However, these systems commonly provide a number of ecosystem services and nature-based solutions that increase the positive externalities in different rural socio-ecological contexts and often have the potential to extend these services and provide solutions that are compatible with economical sustainability. This study aims to discuss the prospects for new practices and for the rehabilitation and modernization of the gravity-fed surface irrigation systems in EU Mediterranean areas to enhance water efficiency, thus gaining both economic advantages and environmental benefits. The difficulties, stimuli for improvements and peculiarities of the irrigation water management of four rural environments located in Italy, Spain and Portugal were analyzed and compared to the current state of the gravity-fed surface irrigation systems with hypothetical future improvements achievable by innovative technologies and practices. In these different case studies, the current gravity-fed surface irrigation systems have an obsolete regulatory structure; water-use efficiency is not a driving criterion for the management of the conveyance and distribution canal network, and farmers are not yet adequately encouraged to adopt more efficient gravity-fed irrigation practices. A continuous knowledge exchange is thus necessary for the interaction of all irrigation water managers and farmers to improve their eco-efficiency and to preserve and promote their cultural heritage across the entire water supply and delivery chains. We argue that the best way forward will require precisely targeted rehabilitation measures of gravity-fed surface irrigation systems based on the integrated use of decision support services, gate automation, remote and feedback controls and real-time flow optimization.

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Farmers value on-farm ecosystem services as important, but what are the impediments to participation in PES schemes?

Cited by 82 publications

References 30 publications

Analyzing Farmers’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and PES Schemes within Agricultural Landscapes in Mengyin County, China: Transforming Trade-Offs into Synergies

Analyzing Farmers’ Perceptions of Ecosystem Services and PES Schemes within Agricultural Landscapes in Mengyin County, China: Transforming Trade-Offs into Synergies

How Local Intermediaries Improve the Effectiveness of Public Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: The Role of Networks and Agri-Environmental Assistance

Prospects for Improving Gravity-Fed Surface Irrigation Systems in Mediterranean European Contexts

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