Adopting climate smart agriculture: a practice theory perspective
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2025-08-26
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nl
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Peat soil subsidence is a major policy challenge in the western Netherlands, affecting the environment, infrastructure, and water safety. Regional governments are encouraging innovations in agricultural practices, including Water Infiltration Systems (WIS) in peatland meadows. This study examines the upscaling of WIS by exploring the motivations of dairy farmers to adopt them, using social practice theory (materials, competences, meaning) as the analytical framework.
The research draws on 16 semi-structured interviews with 14 farmers in Het Groene Hart who had adopted WIS, as well as two interviews with water board officials. Desk research and observations were used to contextualise the materials and policy environment.
Findings highlight the close link between materials and competences: technically complex materials posed barriers to adoption, as they demanded greater expertise. However, when materials carried economic, entrepreneurial, or societal value, these meanings encouraged adoption and could outweigh such barriers.
The study provides a nuanced understanding of how elements of social practices both enable and constrain adoption. While WIS are not a definitive solution to peat subsidence, they can stimulate incremental change and foster collaboration between land users and policymakers within an uncertain policy context.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen