An exploration of individual, social and material factors influencing water pollution mitigation behaviours within the farming community

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Inman, A., Michael, M., Wheeler, R., Vrain, E., Lovett, A., Collins, A. L., Jones, I., Johnes, P. and Cleasby, W. 2018. An exploration of individual, social and material factors influencing water pollution mitigation behaviours within the farming community. Land Use Policy. 70, pp. 16-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.09.042

AuthorsInman, A., Michael, M., Wheeler, R., Vrain, E., Lovett, A., Collins, A. L., Jones, I., Johnes, P. and Cleasby, W.
Abstract

Diffuse pollution of watercourses from agriculture represents a complex and persistent environmental problem in the UK. This paper provides insights into why UK policy interventions have had limited success to date, drawing on the disciplines of psychology, sociology and behavioural economics to more thoroughly understand farmer attitudes and behaviours towards pollution mitigation. Our analysis is based on eliciting the opinions of commercial farmers through a series of surveys and discussion groups in three catchments: the grassland dominated River Eden catchment; the arable dominated River Wensum catchment and the mixed farming area of the Hampshire River Avon catchment. Results strongly suggest that a fundamental shift in identities, normative behavioural beliefs and social norms is required within the farming community before mitigation behaviours become embedded. Simply offering financial incentives or imposing regulatory penalties is unlikely to achieve the desired results. Double loop learning has the potential to enable farmers to migrate from a productivist to a multifunctional outlook where pollution mitigation becomes internalised within a farm management system.
Expert farm advisors will be required to facilitate this process.

KeywordsDiffuse water
Year of Publication2018
JournalLand Use Policy
Journal citation70, pp. 16-26
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.09.042
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderDepartment of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Funder project or codeProvision of Demonstration test Catchments: LM0304
Project: WQ02010
Project: WQ0211
Phase 2 of the Demonstration test catchment Project
Project: WQ0212
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Print16 Oct 2017
Publication process dates
Accepted25 Sep 2017
PublisherElsevier
Copyright licenseCC BY
ISSN0264-8377

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