Resumen de Agri-environment schemes: Farmers´ acceptance and perception of potential "Payment by Results" in grassland-A case study in England

Lilli A. Schroeder, Johannes Isselstein, Stephen Chaplin, Stephen Peel

• The implementation of a "Payment by Results" (PBR) approach to agri-environment schemes (AES) can further increase their ecological and economic efficiency. The aim of this case study was to assess farmers´ perception and acceptance of potential PBR using the example of England and to evaluate aspects of importance to the implementation of PBR. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 32 farmers in the English region of "Yorkshire and The Humber". A semi-standardised questionnaire, which included an example-PBR-option for maintaining and enhancing species-richness in grassland, was developed. The results show that the majority of farmers in this case study accepted PBR. Acceptance was significantly influenced by farmers´ age, experience with AES, farm size and abundance of pre-existing environmental features. If PBR was introduced, farmers would seek more advice. However, the actual willingness of farmers to join a full PBR scheme instead of an action-based option is still questionable. An approach combining a maintained with an enhanced PBR element with different target levels emerged as a possible way forward.