The Future of Farmland Biodiversity and Ideal Farming Future: Farmers-Advisor Perspectives

Beskrivning

Agricultural production is a driver of biodiver-sity loss globally. The European Union’s (EU) Biodiversity Strategy aims to “put biodiversity on the road to recovery” by 2030, and the policy strongly acknowledges the role of agriculture and agrobiodiversity. However, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy has failed to stop the loss of agrobiodiversity in Europe. As farmers and farm advisors are the key stakeholder groups at the farm level, we studied their perceptions of the future regarding biodiversity and farming.

We conducted Finnish farmer-advisor focus groups with a total of 21 participants in five focus groups representing different production sectors. Our approach draws loosely from the post-humanist and socio-ecological transition frameworks. We used data-led qualitative content analysis in creating codes, categories, and themes from the data.

Preliminary results show that the participants discussed four general themes dived into 12 categories. Constant change and need to adapt (crises, self-sufficiency, global trends and subsidise system changes) emphasised proactive attitudes whereas biodiversity in agriculture (biodiversity as an integral part of agriculture and preservation of landscapes and habitats) called for concentration to natural processes.

The future of agricultural production (forms of agriculture, future of livestock production and profitability of agriculture) was a source for insecurity whereas comments emphasising the position of various actors (consumers, active civil society actors and respect for farmers) stressed the societal side of farming. According to the participants, the future of farmland biodiversity hinges also on climate change and the practical application of the sustainability measures.

Period	3 dec. 2024 → 5 dec. 2024
Evenemangstitel	Nordic Ruralities – New paths to sustainable transitions? The 6th Nordic Conference for Rural Research, 3-5 Dec 2024
Typ av evenemang	Konferens
Konferensnummer	6
Plats	Kiiruna, SverigeVisa på karta
Omfattning	Internationell