Building Agroforestry Policy Bottom-Up: Knowledge of Czech Farmers on Trees in Farmland

Jana Krčmářová, Lukáš Kala, Alica Brendzová and Tomáš Chabada
Additional contact information
Jana Krčmářová: Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Florenci 3, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Lukáš Kala: The Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 971, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Alica Brendzová: Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Florenci 3, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Tomáš Chabada: Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty pf Social Studies, Masaryk University, Joštova 218/10, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Czech agriculture is dealing with the consequences of climate change. Agroforestry cultures are being discursively reintroduced for better adaptability and resilience, with the first practical explorations seen in the field. Scholars have been working with farmers and regional stakeholders to establish a baseline for making agroforestry policy viable and sustainable. In a research effort that lasted three years, a large group of Czech farmers was interviewed via questionnaire surveys, standardized focus groups and in-depth personal interviews regarding their knowledge of agroforestry systems, their willingness to participate in these systems, and their concerns and expectations therewith. The information obtained helped the researchers gain better understanding of issues related to implementation of these systems. It was found that although trees are present on Czech farms and farmers appreciate their aesthetic and ecological landscape functions, knowledge about possible local synergies with crops and animals is lacking. This local knowledge gap, together with lack of market opportunities for the output of agroforestry systems and undeveloped administrative processes, have been identified as the greatest obstacles to the establishment of agroforestry systems. The researchers argue that the discovered cognitive and technological “lock-in” of the farmers may represent a risk to climate change adaptability and resilience. For the development of complex and localised land use (e.g., agroforestry) in such a context, the researchers suggest participative on-farm research, which would broaden the local knowledge base related to ecology and entrepreneurship.

Keywords: agroforestry policy; participatory approach; local knowledge; climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:3:p:278-:d:513024

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