Good meadows, good farmers? An assessment of the cultural sustainability of an Irish pilot results-oriented agri-environmental scheme

Abstract: Agri-environmental schemes [AESs], which pay farmers to manage their land more environmentally sustainably, are the European Union’s primary policy instrument for addressing rural environmental problems. The majority of AESs in Europe are action-oriented (meaning they pay farmers to adhere to specified management prescriptions). However, a new approach, the results-oriented scheme (which pays farmers based on the delivery of specified environmental outcome(s)) has emerged as an alternative model. It has been postulated by certain rural sociologists that the results-oriented approach is the more ‘culturally sustainable’ of the two – meaning it is more likely to cause agri-environmental management to become embedded in farming cultures. This is because (hypothetically) it allows agriculturalists to demonstrate ‘good farmer’ status to their peers in the delivery of agri-environmental goods. However, there is insufficient data available to support or refute this claim. To address this research gap, a case study was conducted on an Irish pilot results-oriented scheme. Using Bourdieusian theories of capital to conceptualise the study, and a mixed methods approach to explore the opinions of participant farmers, the cultural sustainability of the scheme was assessed. The major finding was that while the scheme was successful in enhancing the ecological knowledge of participants, it offered little opportunity for participants to demonstrate their own knowledge and skills in the delivery of agri-environmental goods. Hence, the study does not support the postulation that results-oriented schemes are inherently culturally sustainable. It is recommended that to promote the cultural sustainability of results-oriented schemes, officials should emphasise the role of the farmer as the innovative land manager and avoid becoming ‘environmental managers by proxy’. The author would suggest that while the results-oriented approach has potential to bring about durable pro-environmental behavioural change among farmers, it is not appropriate in all contexts. Further research – particularly that which is longitudinal and has a larger sample size than this study – is warranted.