Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland
ABSTRACTCover crops (CCs) are a diverse group of species that are sown simultaneously or after the cash crop either as monocrops or mixtures. A farmer survey with 1130 respondents was carried out with the aim to gain knowledge on CC species used by Finnish farmers, to understand how experienced farm...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2023.2299596 |
| _version_ | 1797366185319202816 |
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| author | Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio Lauri Jauhiainen Juuso Joona Tuomas J. Mattila Tony Hydén Hannu Känkänen |
| author_facet | Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio Lauri Jauhiainen Juuso Joona Tuomas J. Mattila Tony Hydén Hannu Känkänen |
| author_sort | Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACTCover crops (CCs) are a diverse group of species that are sown simultaneously or after the cash crop either as monocrops or mixtures. A farmer survey with 1130 respondents was carried out with the aim to gain knowledge on CC species used by Finnish farmers, to understand how experienced farmers were with them, how experiences varied depending on farm and farmer characteristics, and to identify target groups for dissemination and policy measures. The studied groups were conventional and organic farms that had selected CCs as a registered measure in 2020 to receive agricultural payments. Our results show that farmers were experienced with a high number of CCs despite the high-latitude conditions. Only 11% of respondents had plenty of experience with CCs as mixtures. Farmers tended to favour CCs that were familiar to them as cash crops. Organic producers were usually more experienced than conventional farmers. Education increased curiosity towards CCs. Farmers who used more diverse cash crops tended to use more diverse CCs. In conclusion, especially farmers who have cereal-based systems and rotations should be a core group for knowledge sharing to support transition towards increased use of CCs and higher diversity of CC species in the future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-239c0e504cb6426ba8506ab1a62028e2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1473-5903 1747-762X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj.art-239c0e504cb6426ba8506ab1a62028e22024-01-04T12:00:08ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Agricultural Sustainability1473-59031747-762X2024-12-0122110.1080/14735903.2023.2299596Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in FinlandPirjo Peltonen-Sainio0Lauri Jauhiainen1Juuso Joona2Tuomas J. Mattila3Tony Hydén4Hannu Känkänen5Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, FinlandNatural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Jokioinen, FinlandTyynelä Farm, Imatra, FinlandFinnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Helsinki, FinlandKoivumäki Farm, Loviisa, FinlandNatural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Jokioinen, FinlandABSTRACTCover crops (CCs) are a diverse group of species that are sown simultaneously or after the cash crop either as monocrops or mixtures. A farmer survey with 1130 respondents was carried out with the aim to gain knowledge on CC species used by Finnish farmers, to understand how experienced farmers were with them, how experiences varied depending on farm and farmer characteristics, and to identify target groups for dissemination and policy measures. The studied groups were conventional and organic farms that had selected CCs as a registered measure in 2020 to receive agricultural payments. Our results show that farmers were experienced with a high number of CCs despite the high-latitude conditions. Only 11% of respondents had plenty of experience with CCs as mixtures. Farmers tended to favour CCs that were familiar to them as cash crops. Organic producers were usually more experienced than conventional farmers. Education increased curiosity towards CCs. Farmers who used more diverse cash crops tended to use more diverse CCs. In conclusion, especially farmers who have cereal-based systems and rotations should be a core group for knowledge sharing to support transition towards increased use of CCs and higher diversity of CC species in the future.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2023.2299596Cover cropcatch cropdiversificationeducationfarmland use |
| spellingShingle | Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio Lauri Jauhiainen Juuso Joona Tuomas J. Mattila Tony Hydén Hannu Känkänen Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability Cover crop catch crop diversification education farm land use |
| title | Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland |
| title_full | Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland |
| title_fullStr | Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland |
| title_short | Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland |
| title_sort | farm characteristics shape farmers cover crop choices in finland |
| topic | Cover crop catch crop diversification education farm land use |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2023.2299596 |
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