Farmers in the Vale of York are needed for a European project which aims to demonstrate how complex on-farm decisions can be when applying to agri-environment schemes.
Academics at the University of Leeds are seeking farmers from all sectors to take part in on-farm interviews to inform the BESTMAP project.
The project aims to develop better models of decision-making for farmers and inform greater adoption of agri-environment schemes.
Agri-environment schemes provide funding to farmers and land managers who adopt environmentally-friendly farming techniques to support biodiversity, enhance the landscape and improve the quality of water, air and soil.
The BESTMAP team at the University of Leeds.
To help inform any replacement or future agri-environment scheme, up to 25 farmers in the Vale of York are sought for interviews lasting up to 90 minutes. The findings will be used to formulate a UK case study, with similar case studies being identified in Germany, Catalonia, Czech Republic and Serbia.
Ultimately, the case study will be used to inform government on how agricultural policies can be improved, based on geographical variations, economics and other outside influences that contribute to decision-making.
A workshop for all farmers who participate in the study will be held later in the year to feed back the findings.
Any farmers interested in finding out more can contact Dr Guy Ziv at the University of Leeds by emailing G.Ziv@leeds.ac.uk.
