Fighting the pollinators decline in practice – Farmers’ willingness to accept an eco-scheme for their conservation in Aragon, Spain
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Date
2025
Authors
Muñoz Ulecia, EnriqueUldemolins Gómez, Pilar
Bernués Jal, Alberto
Magistris, Tiziana de
Villamayor Tomás, Sergio
Martín Collado, Daniel
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articleArticle
Abstract
We design an eco-scheme under the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023–2027 integrating the two most relevant agricultural practices for pollinator conservation: setting aside conservation land areas and reducing pesticides. Our main objectives are: (i) to measure farmers’ willingness to accept the implementation of pollinators-friendly agricultural practices, and (ii) to assess the effect of farmers’ environmental concerns and the source of recommendation on said willingness. A choice experiment is used to measure farmers’ preference for alternative designs of the eco-scheme in two cropping systems representative of the Aragonese and Mediterranean agriculture: rainfed extensive crops and irrigated/permanent crops.
As we find, Aragonese farmers are willing to uptake agricultural practices for pollinator conservation to certain extent if they are paid to do so. This is especially true for setting aside land for conservation where more demanding practices could be accepted within current Spanish unitary payments (per ha payment). The reduction or elimination of pesticides would require payments far beyond current Spanish unitary payments. Irrigated/permanent crop farmers require larger payments than rainfed crop farmers. Farmers with pro-environmental attitudes selected more environmentally-demanding alternative levels both for sparing agricultural land and reducing pesticides. Finally, the uptake of the eco-scheme could be easier if cooperatives play an active role in its promotion. The hypothetical eco-scheme presented here could be readily implemented within CAP eco-schemes while integrating the objectives of the European Pollinators Initiative, the Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the Farm to Fork Strategy.
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Bibliographic citation
Muñoz-Ulecia, E., Uldemolins, P., Bernués, A., de-Magistris, T., Villamayor-Tomás, S., & Martín-Collado, D. (2025). Fighting the pollinators decline in practice – Farmers’ willingness to accept an eco-scheme for their conservation in Aragon, Spain. Resources, Environment and Sustainability, 20, 100208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100208
AGROVOC subjects
EncuestasPolítica agraria
Política de estructuras
Intensificación
Polinización
Toxicidad de los pesticidas
Other field subjects
EncuestasIntensificación
Polinización
Política agraria
Política De Estructuras
Toxicidad De Los Pesticidas
Sponsorship
Data collection has been funded by the EU project LIFE PollinAction (LIFE19 NAT/IT/000848). Enrique Muñoz-Ulecia is supported by an employment contract under the EU project LIFE PollinAction (LIFE19 NAT/IT/000848).