Evaluation of voluntary agro-environmental schemes adopted by dairy industry in Canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract

Globally, there is an ample number of voluntary agro-environmental schemes, however little research has evaluated design of these particular schemes. In New Zealand, voluntary approaches in dairy farming industry are recent resulting in limited understanding on how dairy voluntary schemes are designed and implemented in a New Zealand farming context. This study strives to reduce this gap by examining desired attributes identified as relevant for effective voluntary schemes. Scholarly literature on design and maintenance of voluntary schemes identified a set of fifteen attributes that were used to evaluate ten agro-environmental schemes developed by key actors in Canterbury, New Zealand. This study aims to contribute to the body of knowledge of the development of future schemes and initiatives for dairy (and possibly other) industries.