Efforts for eutrophication mitigation on the Santa Lucía River Basin: farmers’ experiences, attitudes and motivations

Abstract: Anthropogenic eutrophication has become an issue of foremost importance in water bodies all around the globe. Nutrients coming from agricultural activities have been identified as one main contributor to this problem. Technologies and inovations (Best Management Practices, BMPs) have been designed for mitigating agricultural impact on water bodies. However, the problem still persists, partly due to a lack of adoption of these practices by targeted farmers. The Santa Lucía River (SLR) in Uruguay has undergone a process of eutrophication during the last decades, resultingin the implementation of a mitigation plan by the Uruguayan government. The need of collaboration by local farmersin the implementation of BMPs calls for the need of better understanding their perspectives on the process, as well as farmers’ motivations for actively participating in it. To address this knowledge gap, eleven farmers residing in the Santa Lucía River basin (SLRB) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. The farmers were asked about their experiences and opinions on the implementation of BMPs in the SLRB. The obtained data was transcribed and coded using a template analysis approach. This study identified three overarching categories: personal factors influencing motivation, perception of the government, and improvement factors. Within these, eleven factors were identified to depict farmers’ perspectives and/or be influential for their motivations. Results indicate that farmers are motivated and willing to collaborate in the preservation of the SLR’s water, but that there are still many factors that influence their capacity to do so, and must be taken in account in order for this objective to be viable.