Harold Opdenbosch, SLU
Sweden’s agricultural policy emphasizes three environmental goals:
tackling climate change, protecting natural resources, and improving
biodiversity. These goals mainly rely on voluntary measures that
encourage farmers to go beyond legal regulations, making their
participation key to success. While public support must align with
societal demands, farmers' acceptance depends on how well the measures
fit their values and farming objectives, which can sometimes differ from
public preferences. In this presentation, Harold will show how the
environmental co-benefits of cover cropping, promoted and incentivised
for climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration, can
influence farmer participation. To do so, Harold will provide empirical
values into their preferences, considering heterogeneity through farmer
identities and attitudes. The presentation will focus on the
compatibility of policy and farming objectives, the policy potential of
co-benefits, and the alignment between public and farmer preferences.