Socio-economic, structural, and policy drivers of agroforestry in Great Britain

Abstract

Agroforestry (AF) is widely recognised as an effective approach for addressing the climate, biodiversity, and food security impacts of modern agriculture, yet its adoption remains limited. This paper examines the economic, structural, social and policy factors influencing farmer adoption of eight AF practices in Great Britain. Survey data from 315 farmers, including a Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) experiment, are analysed using a spatial multivariate ordered probit model. Farmers show a higher intention to adopt low-intensity practices (e.g., small woods, windbreaks) compared to more transformative integrated systems (silvoarable, silvopasture and agrosilvopasture). The BWS results suggest that the level of financial support is an important consideration when evaluating AF schemes, Farmers prefer schemes that include upfront payments and do not require public access to their land. We further find that the factors affecting the likelihood of adoption differ across the eight practices considered. We argue that strategies aiming to increase AF uptake must be practice-specific and designed to address the distinct technical and perceptual barriers associated with different AF systems (e.g. targeted financial support, and building market infrastructure for silvoarable, coupled with demographically-tailored outreach that aligns scheme communication with farmer identity, age, and location). Scaling up AF requires differentiated, evidence-based interventions that reflect farmer priorities and preferences for specific AF practices.

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