Farmer survey of the decision-making factors for CSA adoption
The survey involved 721 farmers from six European countries—Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia—aimed at identifying the decision-making factors influencing the adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)_ analyzed various factors under four key categories: individual behavioral, technological, systemic, and policy-related factors.
Individual Psychological Factors: Farmers’ attitudes toward their ability to make an environmental impact, specifically their sense of self-responsibility, were positively correlated with the intention to adopt CSA. Farmers who believed they had control over implementing CSA (i.e., perceived behavioral control) were also more likely to adopt it. Additionally, farming motives aligned with sustainability goals, and a higher tolerance for financial risk significantly influenced farmers’ willingness to embrace CSA practices.
Technological Factors: Farmers’ perceptions of CSA technologies, such as their ease of use, compatibility with existing practices, and perceived usefulness, were positively correlated with adoption. This suggests that farmers are more likely to adopt CSA when they see the technology as easy to integrate into their current systems and beneficial for their productivity and sustainability goals.
Systemic Factors: The social and market environment played an important role in shaping farmers’ adoption intentions. Social norms were a strong driver—farmers were more likely to adopt CSA if they observed other farmers doing so and valued their peers’ opinions. Perceptions of equity and fairness within the food value chain, where stakeholders like consumers or retailers are perceived to fairly contribute to climate action, also encourage CSA adoption. Additionally, the availability of CSA certification and the belief that consumers would pay a premium price for CSA products were positively correlated with adoption intentions.
Policy and Institutional Factors: Governmental support in the form of financial incentives, such as subsidies, tax reductions, and access to credit, was positively associated with CSA adoption. Farmers who believed they had adequate access to government support were more likely to adopt CSA practices.
Finally, socio-economic factors like education level, farm size, and farm ownership were positively correlated with adoption, while age was negatively correlated, indicating that younger farmers were more likely to adopt CSA compared to older farmers.
In summary, the study highlights the complex mix of behavioral, technological, systemic, and policy-related factors that influence CSA adoption. Targeted interventions addressing these factors can drive broader adoption of CSA practices among European farmers.
Consumer survey of decision-making factors for buying environmentally friendly food products
The study aimed to understand the decision-making factors influencing European consumers’ shift towards purchasing environmentally friendly food products that support Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA). Conducted across six European countries—Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain—the survey involved 1,219 respondents.
Key findings include that 63% of consumers were aware of CSA practices and technologies, and overall, there was a moderate willingness to purchase environmentally friendly products. Factors such as perceived behavioral control, habit formation, self-responsibility for better environments, and willingness to pay for CSA products, were moderately correlated with willingness to buy environmentally friendly products.
Barriers include low self-efficacy, indicating a weak belief that individual actions contribute to environmental change, limited market access, and low informativeness of product labels. On the other hand, social pressure, reflected by a higher injunctive norm score could act as a driver for behavior change.
In summary, targeted policies that focus on awareness, labeling, social influence, and financial incentives could help overcome the barriers and support climate-smart food system change across Europe.
