What is it about?
Farmers in the European Union can receive payments for using environmentally friendly practices through agri-environmental climate schemes (AECS). These programs aim to protect soil, water, and biodiversity. However, many farmers do not stay in the schemes for long. This study examines why, using data from Hungarian farms between 2014 and 2021. We find that most farmers participate for only a short period, usually around two years. Economic factors play a major role: farms that rely heavily on market income are less likely to continue, suggesting that the payments offered by AECS often cannot compete with earnings from commercial farming. Medium-sized, diversified farms tend to stay longer, while farms with more administrative burdens—such as those depending on unpaid family labour—are more likely to leave early. Overall, the results show that environmental programs must better align financial incentives, administrative demands, and farmers’ capacities to achieve long-term environmental benefits.
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Why is it important?
This study offers a rare look at how long farmers stay in environmental schemes, not just whether they join. While most existing research focuses on the decision to adopt agri-environmental climate schemes (AECS), far fewer studies examine the duration of participation. Yet environmental benefits only materialize when farmers remain involved for several years. By analysing eight years of detailed panel data from Hungarian farms, this work provides one of the first empirical assessments of AECS participation dynamics in Central and Eastern Europe. The study is also timely: EU agricultural policy is undergoing major reform to meet climate and biodiversity goals. Understanding why farmers frequently leave AECS early—and which types of farms are most at risk—offers crucial insights for designing more effective, stable, and farmer-friendly programmes. By uncovering the economic and administrative barriers that shorten participation, this research can help policymakers build environmental schemes that farmers can realistically commit to, ultimately improving the impact of public spending and strengthening environmental outcomes across Europe.
Perspectives
For me, this study highlighted how challenging it is for farmers to balance environmental commitments with economic pressures. While analysing the data, I was struck by how often administrative complexity and financial realities limit farmers’ ability to remain in these schemes, even when they value sustainability. The work reinforced my belief that effective environmental policy must account for the everyday constraints farmers face. I hope these findings help shape programmes that are both environmentally meaningful and genuinely workable for farmers.
Professor Imre Fertő
Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Understanding the temporal dynamics of agri-environmental climate scheme adoption, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, December 2025, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2025.2587266.
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