Diversity and drivers of crop diversification pathways of European farms

Abstract

CONTEXTDiversified cropping systems are a main pillar of agroecological practices, but their development is hindered by technological lock-in of agri-food systems around a few major crops. There are only a few examples where minor crops successfully developed and stabilized in a given agricultural region. The underlying change processes at play in these situations are not well known. OBJECTIVEOur paper draws on successful crop diversification experiences, and more specifically on analyses of why and how farms change towards diversified cropping systems, with a view to identifying levers to further enable crop diversification. METHODSWe selected three regions in Europe (Vendée in France, Marche in Italy and Skåne in Sweden) where minor crops are present and carried out interviews on 33 farms where these crops had recently been introduced. The interviews aimed at retracing the farms' crop diversification pathways and the drivers thereof. Farmers were asked to explain their motivations for diversifying their crops and the resources they mobilized to do so. Using a combination of variables to describe the evolution of crop diversity and farmers' behavior towards diversification crops, we statistically categorized the crop diversification pathways into three distinct patterns. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSThe three types of crop diversification pathways identified differed in the following respects: their crop diversity evolution dynamics; the levels of crop diversity reached; and the nature of the change processes that supported them. Type 1 farmers diversify slowly, based on crop-by-crop comparisons of performances. They mobilize few external resources. Type 2 farmers steadily increase crop diversity by introducing a few minor crops on large areas. They are driven by combined economic and agronomic or work-related motivations, and supported by the downstream actors buying the crops. Type 3 farmers diversify rapidly and significantly, driven by agronomic motivations on the benefits of crop diversity for the crop succession. They look for leeway and flexibility in their decisions by mobilizing a variety of outlets and networks. SIGNIFICANCEThis is the first time that crop diversification is analyzed as a long-term (ten to twenty years) change process on farms, with a comparative analysis of three contrasting European regions. Our results indicate that support to crop diversification should be tailored according to farmers' agronomic, economic and work-related issues- especially at the level of the crop succession and the farm. Outlets for diversification crops need to be thought out in terms of the level of external support and autonomy they provide to farmers.