Understanding the social enablers and disablers of pesticide reduction and agricultural transformation

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural transformations are essential to navigate today's social-ecological challenges. One such transformation increasingly advocated through new policies is the reduction of pesticides. Whilst such policies can encourage farmers to switch to alternative farming practices, a dramatic and rapid top-down approach to pesticide reduction can lead to conflicts over the why and how of these initiatives, potentially contributing to unmet policy targets. We investigate what can enable or disable agricultural transformations, and in turn the mobilisation of farmers towards alternatives to pesticides, using a case study involving conflicts around pesticide use in Bourgogne Franche-Comté (France). Results from 55 in-depth interviews highlight diverse perceptions of pesticides, and identify social enablers and disablers of pesticide reduction. Whilst our results highlight limited individual level factors, they mainly highlight the importance of structural issues of (in)justice, power-imbalance and lack of engagement in democracy and territorial development; as well as cultural and relational factors related to the (lack of) social recognition of farming, the disconnect between farming and society, and changing consumer/societal expectations of agriculture. Based on our conflict-centred framework, we argue that the conflicts around pesticide use can be seen as expressions of the need of farmers and rural communities to participate in defining and enabling sustainable agricultural transformations. If such conflicts are managed successfully through an inclusive process that integrates different values and worldviews, they can lead to a joint understanding and improved implementation of sustainable agricultural transformations.