IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/agrhuv/v41y2024i2d10.1007_s10460-023-10495-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perceptions and sociocultural factors underlying adoption of conservation agriculture in the Mediterranean

Author

Listed:
  • Emmeline Topp

    (University of Kassel)

  • Mohamed El Azhari

    (AGENDA, National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA))

  • Harun Cicek

    (Department of International Cooperation, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL))

  • Hatem Cheikh M’Hamed

    (National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (INRAT))

  • Mohamed Zied Dhraief

    (National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (INRAT), University of Carthage, Oussama El Gharras)

  • Oussama El Gharras

    (AGENDA, National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA))

  • Jordi Puig Roca

    (Masia Can Jornet Xic)

  • Cristina Quintas-Soriano

    (Universidad de Almería)

  • Laura Rueda Iáñez

    (Masia Can Jornet Xic)

  • Abderrahmane Sakouili

    (National School of Applied Sciences)

  • Meriem Oueslati Zlaoui

    (National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (INRAT), University of Carthage, Oussama El Gharras)

  • Tobias Plieninger

    (University of Kassel)

Abstract

The Mediterranean region is facing major challenges for soil conservation and sustainable agriculture. Conservation agriculture (CA), including reduced soil disturbance, can help conserve soils and improve soil fertility, but its adoption in the Mediterranean region is limited. Examining farmers’ perceptions of soil and underlying sociocultural factors can help shed light on adoption of soil management practices. In this paper, we conducted a survey with 590 farmers across Morocco, Spain and Tunisia to explore concepts that are cognitively associated with soil and perceptions of tillage. We also evaluated differences in perceptions of innovation, community, adaptive capacity, and responsibility for soil. We found that farmers’ cognitive associations with soil show awareness of soil as a living resource, go beyond agriculture and livelihoods to reveal cultural ties, and link to multiple levels of human needs. Beliefs about the benefits of tillage for water availability and yield persist among the surveyed farmers. We found that openness towards innovation, perceived adaptive capacity and responsibility for soil were associated with minimum tillage, whereas community integration was not. Education, age and farm lifestyle were also associated with differences in these perceptions. CA promotion in the Mediterranean should emphasize the multiple values of soil, should demonstrate how sufficient yields may be achieved alongside resilience to drought, and be tailored to differing levels of environmental awareness and economic needs across north and south.

Suggested Citation

  • Emmeline Topp & Mohamed El Azhari & Harun Cicek & Hatem Cheikh M’Hamed & Mohamed Zied Dhraief & Oussama El Gharras & Jordi Puig Roca & Cristina Quintas-Soriano & Laura Rueda Iáñez & Abderrahmane Sakou, 2024. "Perceptions and sociocultural factors underlying adoption of conservation agriculture in the Mediterranean," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(2), pages 491-508, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:41:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10460-023-10495-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-023-10495-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-023-10495-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10460-023-10495-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wolfgang Cramer & Joël Guiot & Marianela Fader & Joaquim Garrabou & Jean-Pierre Gattuso & Ana Iglesias & Manfred A. Lange & Piero Lionello & Maria Carmen Llasat & Shlomit Paz & Josep Peñuelas & Maria , 2018. "Climate change and interconnected risks to sustainable development in the Mediterranean," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(11), pages 972-980, November.
    2. Adam Reimer & Aaron Thompson & Linda Prokopy, 2012. "The multi-dimensional nature of environmental attitudes among farmers in Indiana: implications for conservation adoption," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 29(1), pages 29-40, March.
    3. Luis Camarero & Jesús Oliva, 2019. "Thinking in rural gap: mobility and social inequalities," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, December.
    4. Bijttebier, J. & Ruysschaert, G. & Hijbeek, R. & Werner, M. & Pronk, A.A. & Zavattaro, L. & Bechini, L. & Grignani, C. & ten Berge, H. & Marchand, F. & Wauters, E., 2018. "Adoption of non-inversion tillage across Europe: Use of a behavioural approach in understanding decision making of farmers," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 460-471.
    5. María García-Martín & Tobias Plieninger & Claudia Bieling, 2018. "Dimensions of Landscape Stewardship across Europe: Landscape Values, Place Attachment, Awareness, and Personal Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-27, January.
    6. Vastola, Antonella & Zdruli, Pandi & D’Amico, Mario & Pappalardo, Gioacchino & Viccaro, Mauro & Di Napoli, Francesco & Cozzi, Mario & Romano, Severino, 2017. "A comparative multidimensional evaluation of conservation agriculture systems: A case study from a Mediterranean area of Southern Italy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 326-333.
    7. Mohamed Zied Dhraief & Boubaker Dhehibi & Hamed Daly Hassen & Meriem Zlaoui & Chaima Khatoui & Sondes Jemni & Ouessama Jebali & Mourad Rekik, 2019. "Livelihoods Strategies and Household Resilience to Food Insecurity: A Case Study from Rural Tunisia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Dominati, Estelle & Patterson, Murray & Mackay, Alec, 2010. "A framework for classifying and quantifying the natural capital and ecosystem services of soils," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 1858-1868, July.
    9. Anna Deplazes-Zemp & Mollie Chapman, 2021. "The ABCs of Relational Values: Environmental Values that Include Aspects of Both Intrinsic and Instrumental Valuing," Environmental Values, , vol. 30(6), pages 669-693, December.
    10. Avery Lavoie & Chloe B. Wardropper, 2021. "Engagement with conservation tillage shaped by “good farmer” identity," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(4), pages 975-985, December.
    11. Salvatore Greco & Alessio Ishizaka & Menelaos Tasiou & Gianpiero Torrisi, 2019. "On the Methodological Framework of Composite Indices: A Review of the Issues of Weighting, Aggregation, and Robustness," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(1), pages 61-94, January.
    12. Knowler, Duncan & Bradshaw, Ben, 2007. "Farmers' adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent research," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 25-48, February.
    13. Gary D. Lynne & J. S. Shonkwiler & Leandro R. Rola, 1988. "Attitudes and Farmer Conservation Behavior," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 70(1), pages 12-19.
    14. Willy, Daniel Kyalo & Holm-Müller, Karin, 2013. "Social influence and collective action effects on farm level soil conservation effort in rural Kenya," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 94-103.
    15. Devkota, Mina & Devkota, Krishna Prasad & Kumar, Shiv, 2022. "Conservation agriculture improves agronomic, economic, and soil fertility indicators for a clay soil in a rainfed Mediterranean climate in Morocco," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    16. Frederik Booysen, 2002. "An Overview and Evaluation of Composite Indices of Development," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 115-151, August.
    17. Jane Mills & Peter Gaskell & Julie Ingram & Janet Dwyer & Matt Reed & Christopher Short, 2017. "Engaging farmers in environmental management through a better understanding of behaviour," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(2), pages 283-299, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Patrick Baur, 2020. "When farmers are pulled in too many directions: comparing institutional drivers of food safety and environmental sustainability in California agriculture," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(4), pages 1175-1194, December.
    2. Rafay Waseem & Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Faria Waseem & Humayoon Khan & Ghulam Mustafa Panhwar & Yangyan Shi, 2020. "Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Practices in Banana Farm Production: A Study from the Sindh Region of Pakistan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Fabian Klebl & Peter H. Feindt & Annette Piorr, 2024. "Farmers’ behavioural determinants of on-farm biodiversity management in Europe: a systematic review," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(2), pages 831-861, June.
    4. Bartosz Bartkowski & Stephan Bartke, 2018. "Leverage Points for Governing Agricultural Soils: A Review of Empirical Studies of European Farmers’ Decision-Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-27, September.
    5. Greco, Salvatore & Ishizaka, Alessio & Tasiou, Menelaos & Torrisi, Gianpiero, 2018. "σ-µ efficiency analysis: A new methodology for evaluating units through composite indices," MPRA Paper 83569, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Samy Katumba & Julia Kadt & Mark Orkin & Paul Fatti, 2022. "Construction of a Reflective Quality of Life Index for Gauteng Province in South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 373-408, November.
    7. Ryschawy, Julie & Tiffany, Sara & Gaudin, Amélie & Niles, Meredith T. & Garrett, Rachael D., 2021. "Moving niche agroecological initiatives to the mainstream: A case-study of sheep-vineyard integration in California," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    8. Li, Fuduo & Zhang, Kangjie & Ren, Jing & Yin, Changbin & Zhang, Yang & Nie, Jun, 2021. "Driving mechanism for farmers to adopt improved agricultural systems in China: The case of rice-green manure crops rotation system," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    9. Lola Martin-Moro & Meltem Öztürk & Florence Laufer, 2022. "Modelling the Prison Life Index with Value Focused Thinking Methodology," Working Papers hal-03851980, HAL.
    10. Giuliano Resce & Fritz Schiltz, 2021. "Sustainable Development in Europe: A Multicriteria Decision Analysis," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 67(2), pages 509-529, June.
    11. Marie Asma Ben-Othmen & Mariia Ostapchuk, 2023. "How diverse are farmers’ preferences for large-scale grassland ecological restoration? Evidence from a discrete choice experiment," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 104(3), pages 341-375, December.
    12. Jessica Rudnick & Mark Lubell & Sat Darshan S. Khalsa & Stephanie Tatge & Liza Wood & Molly Sears & Patrick H. Brown, 2021. "A farm systems approach to the adoption of sustainable nitrogen management practices in California," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 783-801, September.
    13. Lola Martin-Moro & Meltem Öztürk & Florence Laufer, 2024. "Structuring the Prison Life Index through Value Focused Thinking Methodology," Post-Print hal-04767405, HAL.
    14. Ahmad Mohd Khalid & Seema Sharma & Amlendu Kumar Dubey, 2020. "Data Gap Analysis, Indicator Selection and Index Development: A Case for Developing Economies," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 893-960, April.
    15. Greco, Salvatore & Ishizaka, Alessio & Tasiou, Menelaos & Torrisi, Gianpiero, 2019. "Sigma-Mu efficiency analysis: A methodology for evaluating units through composite indicators," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 278(3), pages 942-960.
    16. Fernanda Cortegoso Oliveira Frascareli & Marcelo Furlan & Enzo Barberio Mariano & Daniel Jugend, 2024. "A macro-level circular economy index: theoretical proposal and application in European Union countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 18297-18331, July.
    17. Izak B. Foster & Trevor McIntyre & Natalie S. Haussmann, 2019. "Understanding the relationship between farmers and burrowing mammals on South African farms: are burrowers friends or foes?," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(4), pages 719-731, December.
    18. Sweikert, Lily A. & Gigliotti, Larry M., 2019. "Evaluating the role of Farm Bill conservation program participation in conserving America’s grasslands," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 392-399.
    19. Hongpeng Guo & Yujie Xia & Chulin Pan & Qingyong Lei & Hong Pan, 2022. "Analysis in the Influencing Factors of Climate-Responsive Behaviors of Maize Growers: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-17, April.
    20. Panagiotis Artelaris, 2022. "A development index for the Greek regions," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1261-1281, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:41:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10460-023-10495-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.