Farmland Degradation in the Czech Republic: Drivers and Barriers of Mitigation Strategies in Agricultural Soils

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41110%2F24%3A101381" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41110/24:101381 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60460709:41340/24:101381

Result on the web

<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ldr.5318?af=R" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ldr.5318?af=R</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5318" target="_blank" >10.1002/ldr.5318</a>

Result language

čeština

Original language name

Farmland Degradation in the Czech Republic: Drivers and Barriers of Mitigation Strategies in Agricultural Soils

Original language description

In line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3, which aims to restore degraded land and soil, and the priorities of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to mitigate environmental issues caused by intensive agriculture, understanding the factors influencing farmers' adoption of soil conservation practices (SCPs) is crucial. However, there is still a limited understanding of these specific factors, particularly in the context of the Czech Republic. This study investigates the perceptions and determinants influencing the adoption of SCPs among farmers in the Czech Republic. We analyzed 358 randomly selected farm households using probit and multivariate probit models. Our results show that a significant number of farmers perceive soil degradation as an important problem, attributing it to factors such as low soil nutrient content, declining soil humus, water and wind erosion. The results of our analysis showed positive associations for perceived effectiveness and profitability, indicating that farmers tend to adopt practices such as minimum tillage, mulching, mixed cropping, cover cropping, and continuous soil cover when these methods are perceived to be effective and profitable. Conversely, negative associations are found for perceptions of soil degradation and education, suggesting potential barriers to adoption with higher levels of perceived soil degradation and education. The study also highlights the complex interplay of information sources on adoption, with both positive and negative trends. In light of these findings, we propose recommendations, including that awareness campaigns should be tailored to address perceptions of soil degradation, and that the use of peer networks and information dissemination from research institutions can bridge the gap between scientific recommendations and on-farm practices. Policy makers and agricultural extension services should work together to develop targeted strategies that take into account regional differences in the factors influencing adoption and ultimately promote widespread adoption of SCPs.

Czech name

Farmland Degradation in the Czech Republic: Drivers and Barriers of Mitigation Strategies in Agricultural Soils

Czech description

In line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3, which aims to restore degraded land and soil, and the priorities of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to mitigate environmental issues caused by intensive agriculture, understanding the factors influencing farmers' adoption of soil conservation practices (SCPs) is crucial. However, there is still a limited understanding of these specific factors, particularly in the context of the Czech Republic. This study investigates the perceptions and determinants influencing the adoption of SCPs among farmers in the Czech Republic. We analyzed 358 randomly selected farm households using probit and multivariate probit models. Our results show that a significant number of farmers perceive soil degradation as an important problem, attributing it to factors such as low soil nutrient content, declining soil humus, water and wind erosion. The results of our analysis showed positive associations for perceived effectiveness and profitability, indicating that farmers tend to adopt practices such as minimum tillage, mulching, mixed cropping, cover cropping, and continuous soil cover when these methods are perceived to be effective and profitable. Conversely, negative associations are found for perceptions of soil degradation and education, suggesting potential barriers to adoption with higher levels of perceived soil degradation and education. The study also highlights the complex interplay of information sources on adoption, with both positive and negative trends. In light of these findings, we propose recommendations, including that awareness campaigns should be tailored to address perceptions of soil degradation, and that the use of peer networks and information dissemination from research institutions can bridge the gap between scientific recommendations and on-farm practices. Policy makers and agricultural extension services should work together to develop targeted strategies that take into account regional differences in the factors influencing adoption and ultimately promote widespread adoption of SCPs.

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

40100 - Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT

ISSN

1085-3278

e-ISSN

1085-3278

Volume of the periodical

35

Issue of the periodical within the volume

18

Country of publishing house

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

5596-5610

UT code for WoS article

001330619200001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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