Public Perception of Biodiversity Landscape Elements and Autonomous Technologies in Small-Scale Production Systems

The perception and evaluation of rural landscapes resulting from human interaction with nature is highly subjective. However, understanding how the non-agricultural population views the impact of an altered landscape image is crucial. This paper explores the German population's perceptions of changes in agricultural landscapes brought about by multi-crop, small-scale field structures (strip intercropping) combined with the introduction of biodiversity landscape elements and field robotics. An online survey was conducted with German residents aged 18 and older (n = 2,022). Preferences and the importance of individual image components were analysed based on four images depicting a field with strip intercropping, featuring various combinations of tractors, robots, and flowering strips. Participants’ emotional associations with key image components were also measured. The findings reveal that nearly two-thirds of respondents preferred the image featuring a flower strip and a tractor, associating it with concepts such as green, nature, and environment (flowering strip), as well as the traditional image of agriculture (tractor). Among the two images without flower strips, the tractor was preferred over the robot by more than a sixfold margin. Conversely, the image with a robot and flower strips was chosen about as frequently as the image with a tractor but without flower strips. Additionally, the study highlights how socio-demographic characteristics may influence the evaluation of agricultural landscape changes. Two logistic regression models indicate that factors such as age, gender, direct contact with farmers, and respondents’ reported "green consumption value" significantly impact preferences of specific landscape components. Overall, the results suggest a preference for landscapes that are both familiar and environmentally oriented. Nevertheless, the use of autonomous technologies and the shift towards small-scale diversified production systems are not broadly rejected.