EFFECT has improved the understanding agri-environmental contracting through the following achievements.
Identified the main factors influencing effectiveness of voluntary AES across EU study cases. Stakeholders identified eight common issues to be the main challenges in designing effective AES. Contract length, contract flexibility, contract administration, contract implementation, payments, collaboration, trust, and extension and advice. While the challenges are common, the solutions varied to a large extent. Co-learning labs were proven to be effective tools for knowledge sharing across diverse European farming contexts. Specifically, EFFECT developed co-learning labs on eco-scheme implementation across the EU, rules and practice related to payment calculations of AES, and the experiences with collective contracting in practice.
Delivered novel insights on how institutional contexts enable or hamper provision of ecosystem services. Identified a large scope for improved implementation of new AES. While the opportunities for more successful implementation vary extensively across environmental policy areas, it was possible to highlight three success criteria, which could increase the likelihood of uptake. These criteria are; facilitates knowledge exchange, flexibility in implementation, and (farmer) inclusion in the design process.
Combined economic and ecological knowledge to elicit how different contract forms affect the joint production of agricultural and environmental goods. We analysed participation and performance in voluntary AES using state-of-the-art impact evaluation methodologies. Targeted analysis at national scale has identified factors affecting economic and environmental performance. We developed a novel technique to test eco-efficiency based on Data Envelope Analysis and used integrated ecological-economic modelling to simulate performance of potential AES. Scientific papers testing this approach in a biodiversity and water quality context we have also conducted empirical tests of result-based schemes in selected case studies. The results indicate the hybrid schemes are potentially more effective as they combine features of both result and action based schemes, while avoiding the main limitations of both.
Created new empirical evidence on the incentives to participate in AES and how contract types and alternative designs of incentive mechanisms impact scheme uptake and landholders’ effort. Methods to analyse different forms of collective and individual contracting was developed and used to identify incentive mechanisms to effectively encourage spatial coordination for higher environmental performance. Developed novel designs of economic experiments and discrete choice experiments to identify effective contract design. In particular, the research has improved the current evidence on the potential of spatial coordination incentives. The work has proven that the landscape context is critical for success of spatial incentives mechanisms.
Synthesis of lessons learned showed how contract arrangements can be tailored to different agri-environmental, institutional and socio-economic contexts. Our review of lessons learned from using AES in the CAP highlighted that rigorous environmental impact analysis is not common practice. Existing evidence suggests that the environmental impact of the AES has been limited. Furthermore, a systematic review of the scientific underpinning of the AES literature and coordinated targeted reviews of collective contracts and motivations to participate in AES, has provided an overview of knowledge on key topics.
EFFECT has completed nine in-depth case studies have been implemented across diverse agroecological contexts and diverse policy settings.
An integrated, impact-driven communication and dissemination strategy has been implemented, using tools and channels targeting multiple stakeholders, to raise awareness and foster acceptance. Impact monitoring tools show an above average communication effectiveness for EFFECT in the online community.
