Fostering Social Learning Under the EU Common Agricultural Policy: The Role of Network Bridging Organisations in Agro-Environmental Landscapes.

Abstract

Compensation payments to farmers for the provision of agri-environmental services are a well-established policy scheme under the EU Common Agricultural Policy. However, in spite of the success in most EU countries in the uptake of the program by farmers, the impact of the scheme on the long term commitment of farmers to change in their practices remains poorly documented. To explore this issue, this paper presents the results of semi-structured field interviews and a quantitative survey in the Walloon Region of Belgium. The main finding of this study is that farmers who have periodic contacts with network bridging organisations that foster cooperation and social learning in the agri-environmental landscapes show a higher commitment to change. This effect is observed both for farmers with high and low initial intrinsic motivations for biodiversity. Support for network bridging organisations is foreseen under the EU Leader program and the EU regulation 1306/2013, which could open-up interesting opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of the current payment scheme for agri-environmental services.