The prospects of innovative agri-environmental contracts in the European policy context: Results from a Delphi study

• Kelemen, Eszter ^[7] ; Megyesi, Boldizsár ^[7] ; Matzdorf, Bettina ^[1] ; Andersen, Erling ^[2] ; van Bussel, Lenny G.J. ^[8] ; Dumortier, Myriam ^[9] ; Dutilly, Céline ^[3] ; García-Llorente, Marina ^[4] ; Hamon, Christine ^[10] ; LePage, Annabelle ^[11] ; Moruzzo, Roberta ^[5] ; Prager, Katrin ^[6] ; Riccioli, Francesco ^[5] ; Yacamán-Ochoa, Carolina ^[4]
  1. [1] Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research

     Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research

     Landkreis Märkisch-Oderland, Alemania

     
  2. [2] University of Copenhagen

     University of Copenhagen

     Dinamarca

     
  3. [3] Agricultural Research Centre For International Development

     Agricultural Research Centre For International Development

     París, Francia

     
  4. [4] Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

     Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

     Madrid, España

     
  5. [5] University of Pisa

     University of Pisa

     Pisa, Italia

     
  6. [6] University of Aberdeen

     University of Aberdeen

     Reino Unido

     
  7. [7] ESSRG Nonprofit Kft, Ferenciek tere 2, Budapest H-1053, Hungary
  8. [8] Environmental Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
  9. [9] Instituut voor Natuur, en Bosonderzoek, Havenlaan 88 bus 73, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
  10. [10] Deutscher Bauernverband, Claire-Waldoff-Straße 7, 10117 Berlin, Germany
  11. [11] Natural England, Natural England Mail Hub, Worcester County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester WR5 2NP, UK

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• Localización: Land use policy: The International Journal Covering All Aspects of Land Use, ISSN 0264-8377, ISSN-e 1873-5754, Nº. 131, 2023
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Innovative agri-environmental contracts are increasingly studied in the literature, but their adoption has been relatively slow and geographically scattered. Action-based agri-environmental measures remain the predominant policy mechanism across Europe. A three-round Policy Delphi study was conducted with policy makers, scientific experts, farmers’ representatives, and NGOs from across 15 different European countries, to investigate how and under which circumstances novel contractual solutions could be implemented more widely. The expert panel perceived result-based and collective contractual elements as the most promising. Although considered beneficial from several aspects, value chain contracts were perceived less relevant to the policy environment. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Pillar 2 measures were highlighted by the experts as the key policy area to implement novel contracts by national or regional authorities, but Pillar 1 eco-schemes, being launched in the CAP 2023–2027, were also considered as a potentially suitable framework for testing and implementation. The Delphi panel envisaged innovative contracts should be adopted by governments in iterative steps and not as a complete substitute for current payment schemes, but rather as an additional incentive to them. Such an incremental approach allows contractual innovations to capitalise on existing best practices. But it also implies the risk that innovative contracts could remain marginal and fail to substantially change farmers’ behaviour, resulting in a failure to improve environmental conditions.