Trust Versus Content in Multi-functional Land Management: Assessing Soil Function Messaging in Agricultural Networks

Growing sustainability demands on land have a high knowledge requirement across multiple scientific domains. Exploring networks can expose opportunities for targeting. Using mixed-methods combining social network analysis (SNA) and surveys, networks for key soil functions in case studies in Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands are explored. We find a diversity of contrasting networks that reflect local conditions, sustainability challenges and governance structure. Farmers were found to occupy a central role in the agri-environmental governance network. A comparison of the SNA and survey results indicate low acceptance of messages from many central actors indicating scope to better harness the network for sustainable land management. The source of the messages was important when it came to the implementation of farm management actions. Two pathways for enhanced farmer uptake of multi-functionality are proposed that have wider application are; to increase trust between farmers and actors that are agents of multi-functional messages and/or to increase the bundling or multi-functionality of messages (mandate) of actors trusted by farmers.

Automated summary

The study reveals contrasting networks reflecting local conditions, sustainability challenges, and governance structures. Farmers play a central role in the agri-environmental governance network, but many central actors have low acceptance of messages, suggesting potential for enhancing sustainable land management through better harnessing of the network.