Stakeholders’ Preferences for Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Mediterranean Cereal Cropping Systems

Javier Calatrava (), Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes, David Martínez-Granados, Samuel Franco-Luesma and María Dolores Gómez-López
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Javier Calatrava: Department of Agricultural Economics, Finance and Accounting, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes: Soil and Water Department, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei (EEAD), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
David Martínez-Granados: Department of Agricultural Production and Technology, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Samuel Franco-Luesma: Department of Agricultural Systems, Forestry and Environment, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
María Dolores Gómez-López: Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: This study assesses local stakeholders’ perceptions regarding how a Mediterranean cereal-based cropping system could transition to a more sustainable production, focusing on the identification of the most suitable alternatives for their diversification. Fifty-four stakeholders from the Aragon region in Spain, including farmers, technical advisors, public agricultural officers, local researchers, and experts from environmental NGOs, were consulted. Their responses were analysed using multi-criteria decision-making techniques to order their preferences for different farming practices and diversification strategies. Stakeholders’ responses suggest a priority for balancing soil conservation with the economic viability and continuity of farms. This is evident not only in its consideration as a priority objective but also in their preferences for farming practices, where their implications for farm profitability, especially through the choice of less costly alternatives, are a main concern. This economic rationale also influences their choice of crop diversification alternatives, with a preference for short (two-year) rotations in rainfed cereals and double cropping in irrigated cereals, showing a consideration of the balance between environmental and economic sustainability, and for diversification crops that farmers are already familiar with, aiming both to reduce the uncertainties linked to new crops and to minimise the need for technical support.

Keywords: low-input farming practices; stakeholders’ assessment; multicriteria analysis; economic sustainability; crop rotations; multiple cropping; intercropping (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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