FARMERS PERCEPTION OF UNSPRAYED CROP EDGES IN THE NETHERLANDS

This paper argues that not only should environmental and ecological be nefits and economic costs be considered in developing nature conservat ion policies at the farm level but that farmers' perceptions should al so be taken into account. Statistical analysis of survey data demonstr ates the relevance of these behavioural aspects. Arable farmers with e xperience of unsprayed crop edges indicated that they preferred unspra yed edges in cereals or grass strips for agronomical, farming equipmen t related and socio-psychological reasons. The study also focused on t he ''ideal'' unsprayed crop edge from the farmers' perspective. It app eared that a flexible width is most important for acceptance in fannin g practice, because it is, above all, the width that determines compat ibility with existing farming organisation and parcel lay-out. In this respect, there was significant differences between regions. With rega rd to the payment system, farmers prefer a guaranteed reward instead o f a ''payment for nature'' result, irrespective of the region consider ed. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited.