Can knowledge transfer speed up climate change mitigation in agriculture? A randomized experimental evaluation of participatory workshops

Abstract

Livestock management is recognized as the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions in agriculture. Despite the many available mitigation options, they are often not taken up by farmers even when they are economically beneficial for farms. Effective knowledge transfer is among the critical policy instruments to increase the adoption of new mitigating measures. Recently, there has been a shift in agricultural knowledge transfer from a linear, top-down learning model towards more participatory approaches that emphasise peer-to-peer learning. However, effectiveness of the new model has rarely been evaluated. Our study assessed the impact of participatory workshops on farmers’ uptake of climate-friendly soil and manure management practices that can help reduce GHG and ammonia emissions. A group of 438 cattle-rearing farmers from two Slovenian regions participated in a randomised experimental evaluation, of which 225 received training and 213 participated in a control group. After attending the participatory workshops, farmers had statistically significant and on average 25% higher knowledge levels of climate change and mitigation measures. Furthermore, the intention to perform mitigation measures was significantly higher, on average by 19%, compared to the control group. The workshops also had a significant positive effect on attitudes towards mitigation measures, climate change beliefs, social norms, psychological distance and perceived behavioural control. However, previous personal experience (habits) had a stronger effect on intentions than participation in workshops. Based on the results we provide recommendations on how to best use various policy tools to increase the adoption of mitigation measures.