Empowering farmers to conserve grassland's genetic diversity in situ
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6438320 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Morgane Lambert (Federal Office for Agriculture), Christina Kägi (Federal Office for Agriculture), Antoine Guisan (0000-0002-3998-4815, University of Lausanne), Blaise Petitpierre (0000-0002-3087-3422, Sanofi (Switzerland)), Sylvain Aubry (0000-0002-7598-3609, Federal Office for Agriculture, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 121 |
| Pages | 103938-103938 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Rural Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0743-0167 • E-ISSN: 1873-1392 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103938 |
| OpenAlex | W7106248202 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
The genetic diversity of grassland species is increasingly at risk due to agricultural intensification, habitat fragmentation, and climate change, which increase the vulnerability of ecosystems to pests and diseases. Protecting this diversity is critical for the resilience of agricultural systems, yet current agri-environmental schemes often struggle to halt genetic erosion. Their effectiveness depends not only on policy design but also on farmers’ willingness and motivation to participate. This study investigates the factors shaping farmers’ participation in a newly established voluntary scheme in Switzerland, the “ in situ program,” which aims to conserve the genetic diversity of fodder plants and their wild relatives on semi-intensive grasslands. Drawing on national eco-geographical data combined with an online farmer survey, we analysed participation patterns through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Our results show that participating farms are typically larger, located at higher altitudes, and more likely to hold organic certification. Beyond structural factors, voluntary participation fostered intrinsic motivation and enhanced farmers’ appreciation of their role in conserving agrobiodiversity. We conclude that successful agro-environmental policies must recognize farmers as active custodians of genetic resources and support their engagement through schemes that combine ecological objectives with the values and motivations of farming communities. • Conservation of genetic diversity on agricultural land is challenging. • A dedicated AES program to conserve grassland in situ was developed. • Highland, big and organic farms are more likely to participate in the in situ program. • Farmer's motivations often reflect their integration into the policy complex.
Agriculture · Biodiversity · Citizen science · Custodians · Diversity (politics · Genetic diversity · In situ · In situ conservation · Psychological resilience · Vulnerability (computing) · Agricultural Innovations and Practices · Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems · Bioenergy crop production and management · Genetic and Environmental Crop Studies · Genetically Modified Organisms Research · Organic Food and Agriculture
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Motivations for swiss lowland farmers to conserve biodiversity
Comparing a ‘budge’ to a ‘nudge’
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Will farmers work together for conservation? The potential limits of farmers’ cooperation in agri-environment measures
Farmers’ heterogeneous preferences towards results-based environmental policies
Agri-environment scheme protects diversity of mountain grassland species
Understanding farmers’ motivations for providing unsubsidised environmental benefits
Factors Affecting European Farmers' Participation in Biodiversity Policies
Exploring Farmers' Cultural Resistance to Voluntary Agri-environmental Schemes
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |