Financial imperative or conservation concern? EU farmers' motivations for participation in voluntary agri-environmental schemes

Based on a large transnational research project that involved questionnaire s with 1000 farm households in nine EU countries and Switzerland, this pape r investigates factors influencing farmers' participation in agri-environme ntal schemes (AESs). Analysis of motivations for AES participation highligh ts that complex patterns of AESs are in operation. Pronounced geographical differences in farmers' reactions towards schemes can be identified, with r esponses by farmers from northern member states often differing from those in Mediterranean countries, and with arable farmers often responding differ ently fi-om grassland farmers. Yet, the study also highlights that much com mon ground exists and that conceptual frameworks for the understanding of f armers' participation in AESs developed in the United Kingdom can be succes sfully applied outside the British context. Common participation patterns i nclude the importance of financial imperatives and 'goodness of fit: and th e influence of similar sets of factors such as farm size, tenure, or farm t ype. The growing importance of conservation-oriented motivations for AES pa rticipation across Europe suggests the emergence of a 'new hypothesis' whic h highlights that the financial imperative for participation does not neces sarily exclude an often equally important environmental concern. The paper concludes by indicating where current agri-environmental policy (AEP) may b e failing adequately to address structural and socioeconomic characteristic s of targeted farming populations, and by arguing that understanding partic ipation decisionmaking is only the first step in an attempt to assess the ' effectiveness' of AEP. Further comparative research is needed to investigat e in detail more complex indicators of scheme success, in particular what e ffects scheme participation has on farmers' incomes, farmers' environmental attitudes, and on the environmental quality of the countryside targeted by AESs.