Incorporating trees on farm: the influence of historical developments and place

Abstract

The incorporation of trees on farms is a proposed solution to agricultural and societal challenges, such as climate change, soil and groundwater contamination and biodiversity loss. While studies are conducted to understand motivations of landowners adopting agroforestry, there is a call for more research, since enthusiasm for agroforestry is abundant but actual uptake lags behind. We respond to this call by digging into the reasons for incorporation of trees in the Netherlands (TN) and New Zealand (NZ). These nations face similar environmental challenges and economic prosperity. There are also important differences, allowing for a deeper understanding of how motivations for agroforestry are associated with socio-political, historical and geographical context. We take an institutional theory approach, in which we understand agroforestry practices as embedded in beliefs and values of the farming culture, and rely on 18 (9 in NZ and 9 in TN) farm visits and in-depth interviews with farmers, as well as expert interviews in both states. Profitability was mentioned in both countries, but more pronounced in NZ than in TN, whose farmers more strongly seem to act out of care for land, animals and community. This might reflect differences in national funding climates and the historical place of the tree as contributor to farm income, as well as differences in social configurations of the farmer population engaged in agroforestry. We conclude national comparisons are an undervalued tool to gain insight into more structurally driven motivations for agroforestry and that they illuminate policy space to increase the adoption of agroforestry.