What is it about?
Many European farmers receive financial support to farm in more environmentally friendly ways. These agri-environment schemes are meant to reduce the use of chemicals and energy, protect nature, and support sustainable agriculture. But it is not always clear whether these programmes really change how farmers work—especially in wine production, where farming is often intensive. This study looks at wine farms in Hungary and asks a simple question: do these schemes actually reduce the use of fertilisers, pesticides, or energy? To answer this, we compared farms that joined agri-environment schemes with similar farms that did not. We found that wine farms taking part in these schemes spend less on crop protection products, which suggests they may be using fewer chemical pesticides. However, we did not find clear reductions in fertiliser use or energy costs. The results also show that larger farms are more likely to join these programmes, while smaller farms may find it harder to take part. Overall, the study shows that agri-environment schemes can help reduce pesticide use in wine production, but their effects are limited in other areas. Making these programmes simpler, more targeted, and easier for smaller farms to join could help them deliver stronger environmental benefits in the future.
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Why is it important?
This study is one of the first to look closely at whether agri-environment schemes actually reduce chemical and energy use in wine production in Central and Eastern Europe. Most previous research has focused on large crop farms in Western Europe, even though wine production is one of the most input-intensive and environmentally sensitive farming activities. The timing of this research is especially important. European agricultural policy is placing growing emphasis on sustainability, pesticide reduction, and climate action, but there is limited evidence on whether current support schemes are delivering these changes in practice. By focusing on real farm data from Hungary, this study provides timely evidence on what is working—and what is not—in a high-value farming sector. The findings matter because they show that current schemes can help reduce pesticide use, but they are less effective at lowering fertiliser and energy use. The study also highlights that smaller farms are less likely to participate, meaning environmental benefits may be unevenly distributed. These insights can help policymakers improve programme design so that future schemes are more effective, more inclusive, and better aligned with environmental goals.
Perspectives
Working on this article was especially meaningful to me because it connects careful data analysis with real-world farming and environmental challenges. Wine production is often seen as traditional and even romantic, but behind that image are difficult decisions about chemicals, energy use, and long-term sustainability. I wanted this research to speak to those realities rather than stay at an abstract policy level. I was also motivated by a concern that well-intentioned environmental programmes do not always work as expected. By looking closely at what actually changes on farms, I hope this study encourages more honest discussions about how agri-environment schemes can be improved, not just expanded. Personally, I hope this article is useful not only for researchers and policymakers, but also for people who care about sustainable food production and rural livelihoods. If it helps spark better-designed policies or gives farmers’ experiences more weight in policy debates, then it has achieved something important.
Professor Imre Fertő
Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Assessing the impact of agri-environmental schemes on input use in Hungary's wine sector: Implications for sustainability and policy design, Environmental Development, March 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101424.
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