A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The farmer as a landscape steward: Comparing local understandings of landscape stewardship, landscape values, and land management actions
Authors: Raymond C. M., Bieling C., Fagerholm N., Martin-Lopez B., Plieninger T.
Publisher: Springer
Publication year: 2016
Journal: AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
Volume: 45
Issue: 2
First page : 173
Last page: 184
Number of pages: 12
ISSN: 0044-7447
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-015-0694-0
Web address : http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-015-0694-0
Abstract
We develop a landscape stewardship classification which distinguishes between farmers' understanding of landscape stewardship, their landscape values, and land management actions. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with small-holder (< 5 acres), medium-holders (5-100 acres), and large-holders (> 100 acres) in South-West Devon, UK. Thematic analysis revealed four types of stewardship understandings: (1) an environmental frame which emphasized the farmers' role in conserving or restoring wildlife; (2) a primary production frame which emphasized the farmers' role in taking care of primary production assets; (3) a holistic frame focusing on farmers' role as a conservationist, primary producer, and manager of a range of landscape values, and; (4) an instrumental frame focusing on the financial benefits associated with compliance with agri-environmental schemes. We compare the landscape values and land management actions that emerged across stewardship types, and discuss the global implications of the landscape stewardship classification for the engagement of farmers in landscape management.
We develop a landscape stewardship classification which distinguishes between farmers' understanding of landscape stewardship, their landscape values, and land management actions. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with small-holder (< 5 acres), medium-holders (5-100 acres), and large-holders (> 100 acres) in South-West Devon, UK. Thematic analysis revealed four types of stewardship understandings: (1) an environmental frame which emphasized the farmers' role in conserving or restoring wildlife; (2) a primary production frame which emphasized the farmers' role in taking care of primary production assets; (3) a holistic frame focusing on farmers' role as a conservationist, primary producer, and manager of a range of landscape values, and; (4) an instrumental frame focusing on the financial benefits associated with compliance with agri-environmental schemes. We compare the landscape values and land management actions that emerged across stewardship types, and discuss the global implications of the landscape stewardship classification for the engagement of farmers in landscape management.
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