Mapping farmer perceptions, Conservation Agriculture practices and on-farm measurements: The role of systems thinking in the process of adoption

Lalani, Baqir; Aminpour, Payam; Gray, Steven; Williams, Meredith; Büchi, Lucie; Haggar, Jeremy; Grabowski, Philip; Dambiro, J.

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103171

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(100 reference statements)

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“…As well as in Brazil, particularly in the region in this study, misunderstanding, and non-adoption of conservation agriculture practices have also been shown in other regions around the world, such as Africa (van Hulst and Posthumus, 2016;Lalani et al, 2021), Middle East (Chalak et al, 2017), United States of America (Reimer et al, 2012) and Asia (Halbrendt et al, 2014). It shows that CA is very little understood and applied by farmers worldwide.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Soil management practices adopted by farmers and how they perceive conservation agriculture

Telles¹,

Melo²,

Righetto³

et al. 2022

Revista Brasileira De Ciência Do Solo

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In some rural properties of Brazil, soil and water conservation practices are partially or inappropriately implemented, intensifying soil erosion, even in no-tillage (NT) areas. This study aimed to check the farmer's understanding of conservation agriculture (CA) and assess whether they are using practices appropriate to soil conservation. A basin in the state of Paraná, in Southern Brazil, was selected. Surveys were conducted based on a structured questionnaire and in-person interviews of 234 farmers. Among these farmers, 67 % do not understand CA pillars adequately, and 68 % stated they have been using NT for over 12 years. However, 58 % stated that they carried out some kind of soil preparation. Furthermore, some of the farmers only partially implemented CA, adopting a low level of crop diversification. The main problems pointed out by the farmers to justify simplifying the CA approach were soil compaction, low production of plant biomass and resistance of weeds to herbicides. Most farmers in the study do not have enough knowledge of the pillars of CA. As a result, there is little diversification in crop rotation, and the soil is continually disturbed with chiseling. Furthermore, although most farmers use terracing, they drive sprayers crossing terraces and following the slope, a practice that can impair the capacity of terraces to control surface water runoff. These practices do not contribute to soil and water conservation and endanger the sustainability of agricultural production systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Soil management practices adopted by farmers and how they perceive conservation agriculture

Telles¹,

Melo²,

Righetto³

et al. 2022

Revista Brasileira De Ciência Do Solo

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“…A paradigm comes from the unavailability of mechanical weeding in vineyards which are established in fields with high slope [63]. It is critical to understand the farmers' decision-making and their perceptions of changes in the structure, components and technologies of their farming systems [59,[64][65][66][67][68]. Policy-makers' endeavors to raise awareness to farmers on sustainable pesticide use are principally based on the education of farmers and their active involvement in the transformation of agricultural systems [54,[69][70][71].…”

Section: Biases Of Farmers On Adoption Of Sustainable Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Crop and Weed Management in the Era of the EU Green Deal: A Survival Guide

et al. 2022

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Agricultural systems in the EU have become more vulnerable and less sustainable due to an overreliance on herbicides and the tremendous increase in herbicide-resistant weeds. The EU Green Deal aims to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030, although it is still undefined whether a reduction in herbicide use could be feasible in different farming systems and situations. This review aims to provide a holistic framework for sustainable crop and weed management to reduce the herbicide input and ensure crop protection. Current and future dilemmas and policies that need to be handled to ensure the agroecological transition of the EU’s agricultural systems are also discussed. The integration of non-chemical alternatives for integrated weed management is feasible and includes novel cultivation techniques (e.g., intercropping, false seedbed, reduced tillage, crop rotation and diversification, adjustments on sowing densities and dates), non-chemical tools (e.g., flaming, seed coating, beneficial microorganisms, mechanical weeding, biocontrol agents and natural herbicides), competitive plant material (hybrids and cultivars, cover crops, service crops), and new technologies and precision agriculture tools (e.g., Decision Support Systems, robots, remote sensing, UAVs, omics and nanotechnology). A special focus should be appointed to agroecology and biodiversity conservation.

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“…Systems Thinking (ST) can be defined as a mental construct that recognises patterns and connections in a particular system to make the “best decision” possible given a particular goal. In a number of environmental fields including sustainable agriculture and fisheries management, higher degrees of ST are thought to be associated with “better” (e.g., optimal given preferred outcomes and understood constraints environmental decision making in a variety of country settings (e.g., Gray, 2018 ; Lalani et al, 2021 ; Aminpour et al, 2022 ). For example, recent studies in a North American setting have shown that higher degrees of ST correlate with the use of conservation practices, including pest management practices (e.g., Bardenhagen et al, 2020 ), holistic management/agricultural practices (Mann et al, 2019 ) and cover crops (Church et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, recent studies in a North American setting have shown that higher degrees of ST correlate with the use of conservation practices, including pest management practices (e.g., Bardenhagen et al, 2020 ), holistic management/agricultural practices (Mann et al, 2019 ) and cover crops (Church et al, 2020 ). Higher degrees of ST have also been associated with the use of Conservation Agriculture (CA) in Mozambique (e.g., Lalani et al, 2021 ) and more recently with sustainable groundwater management in India (Sanga and Koli, 2023 ). Social science methods have often measured degrees of “systems thinking” by exploring the qualitative and quantitative attributes of individual mental models often through analysing concepts or cognitive maps.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systems Thinking in an era of climate change: Does cognitive neuroscience hold the key to improving environmental decision making? A perspective on Climate-Smart Agriculture

Lalani

Gray

Mitra-Ganguli³

2023

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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Systems Thinking (ST) can be defined as a mental construct that recognises patterns and connections in a particular complex system to make the “best decision” possible. In the field of sustainable agriculture and climate change, higher degrees of ST are assumed to be associated with more successful adaptation strategies under changing conditions, and “better” environmental decision making in a number of environmental and cultural settings. Future climate change scenarios highlight the negative effects on agricultural productivity worldwide, particularly in low-income countries (LICs) situated in the Global South. Alongside this, current measures of ST are limited by their reliance on recall, and are prone to possible measurement errors. Using Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), as an example case study, in this article we explore: (i) ST from a social science perspective; (ii) cognitive neuroscience tools that could be used to explore ST abilities in the context of LICs; (iii) an exploration of the possible correlates of systems thinking: observational learning, prospective thinking/memory and the theory of planned behaviour and (iv) a proposed theory of change highlighting the integration of social science frameworks and a cognitive neuroscience perspective. We find, recent advancements in the field of cognitive neuroscience such as Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) provide exciting potential to explore previously hidden forms of cognition, especially in a low-income country/field setting; improving our understanding of environmental decision-making and the ability to more accurately test more complex hypotheses where access to laboratory studies is severely limited. We highlight that ST may correlate with other key aspects involved in environmental decision-making and posit motivating farmers via specific brain networks would: (a) enhance understanding of CSA practices (e.g., via the frontoparietal network extending from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to the parietal cortex (PC) a control hub involved in ST and observational learning) such as tailoring training towards developing improved ST abilities among farmers and involving observational learning more explicitly and (b) motivate farmers to use such practices [e.g., via the network between the DLPFC and nucleus accumbens (NAc)] which mediates reward processing and motivation by focussing on a reward/emotion to engage farmers. Finally, our proposed interdisciplinary theory of change can be used as a starting point to encourage discussion and guide future research in this space.

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Mapping farmer perceptions, Conservation Agriculture practices and on-farm measurements: The role of systems thinking in the process of adoption

Cited by 19 publications

References 69 publications

Soil management practices adopted by farmers and how they perceive conservation agriculture

Soil management practices adopted by farmers and how they perceive conservation agriculture

Sustainable Crop and Weed Management in the Era of the EU Green Deal: A Survival Guide

Systems Thinking in an era of climate change: Does cognitive neuroscience hold the key to improving environmental decision making? A perspective on Climate-Smart Agriculture

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