Release Date: 2024-06-17

Behavioral Economics to Tackle Climate Change in Agriculture

Ela Atis (Author), Cihat Gunden (Author), Pelin Atakan (Author)

Release Date: 2024-06-17

In addressing climate change, the role of farmers is critical, necessitating their adoption of sustainable agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience. These practices offer environmental and economic benefits and enhance farmers’ resilience and socio-economic status. The adoption of sustainable practices is influenced by economic, social, cultural, and behavioral factors and their [...]

Media Type
    Buy from

    Price may vary by retailers

    Work TypeBook Chapter
    Published inAgricultural Economics and Climate Change
    First Page35
    Last Page60
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.69860/nobel.9786053359432.3
    Page Count26
    Copyright HolderNobel Tıp Kitabevleri
    Licensehttps://nobelpub.com/publish-with-us/copyright-and-licensing

    In addressing climate change, the role of farmers is critical, necessitating their adoption of sustainable agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience. These practices offer environmental and economic benefits and enhance farmers’ resilience and socio-economic status. The adoption of sustainable practices is influenced by economic, social, cultural, and behavioral factors and their perceived advantages and compatibility among farmers. Despite the recognized benefits, global adoption rates of sustainable agricultural practices lag behind the ambitious targets set by the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Behavioral economics and behavioral insights, which is the application of behavioral economics to solve everyday problems, provide a comprehensive understanding of studying farmers’ decision-making processes when adopting or not adopting certain practices. This understanding can inform the design of policies based on choice architecture and nudges, which have demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in various contexts, including agriculture, by shaping decisions and encouraging sustainable behavior. Nudges are simple interventions that alter individuals’ attitudes and behaviors without resorting to mandatory or costly measures. This chapter presents a framework to explore the significant role of behavioral economics and behavioral insights in combating climate change. Green nudges are highlighted as a distinct and promising environmental and climate policy tool within this framework. The discussions in this chapter aim to offer guidance to policymakers specifically focused on addressing climate change in agriculture.

    Ela Atis (Author)
    Ege University
    https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8011-8102
    3Dr. Ela Atış is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the Faculty of Agriculture. Prof. Dr. Atış has made significant contributions to the field of Agricultural Economics for over forty years. Her work has resulted in the publication of over 80 research articles, oral and poster presentations, and reviews. Prof. Dr. Atış has also been involved in numerous research projects throughout her career. She has held various academic and administrative positions at Ege University throughout her academic career. Her areas of expertise include agricultural policy, natural resources and environmental economics and policies, climate change, and water economics.

    Cihat Gunden (Author)
    Professor, Ege University
    https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0353-5054
    3Dr. Cihat GÜNDEN is a Professor at Ege University, Turkey. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economic from Ege University. He served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Applied Survey Research Laboratory at North Carolina A&T State University, USA (2010-2012). He teaches Behavioral economics, Measurement and scales in social research, Multivariate data analysis, Econometrics and Statistics. His current research studies focus on behavioral and experimental economics, behavioral insights (nudge), policy design, farmers’ decision-making processes, consumer behavior in a food-environment context, consumers’ food values.

    Pelin Atakan (Author)
    Res. Assist, Yaşar University
    https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8998-7179
    3Pelin ATAKAN works as a research assistant at Yaşar University, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Management. She is a PhD Candidate in Agricultural Economics at Ege University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Bahçeşehir University and a master’s degree in Business Economics and Management from CIHEAM Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania in Crete, Greece. She spent over 5 years volunteering and working in the civil society sector in the fields of human rights, rural development and political ecology. She took part in projects supported by EIT, Erasmus +, Horizon Europe and PRIMA programs at Yaşar University and Ege University. Combining her multidisciplinary background, her research focuses on the integration of agricultural economics and behavioural economics, agricultural water management, value chains, agricultural technology and entrepreneurship, and alternative food networks. Her recent research appeared in the Mediterranean Journal of Economics, Agriculture and Environment (New Medit), Sustainability and Foods.

    • Seo SN. Micro-behavioral economics of global warming: modeling adaptation strategies in agricultural and natural resource enterprises. Cham, Switzerland: Springer; 2015.

    • FAO. Making climate-sensitive investments in agriculture – Approaches, tools and selected experiences [Internet]. Rome; 2021. Available from: https://doi. org/10.4060/cb1067en

    • EEA. Climate change adaptation in the agriculture sector in Europe. European Environment Agency. 2019;

    • Adde M. Promoting Sustainable Agriculture: Leveraging Behavioral Insights for Effective Technology Adoption Policies [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https:// capi-icpa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-06-19-Melat-Adde-Individual-Report-CAPI-EN.pdf

    • TurkStat. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Statistics, 1990-2021 TurkStat Press Release Number: 49672 [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Jun 22]. Available from: https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions-Statistics-1990-2021-49672&dil=2

    • IPCC. IPCC, 2023: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2023 Jul.

    • IPCC. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Möller V, Okem A, Rama B, editors. Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press. Cambridge University Press; 2022. 3056 p.

    • Kreft C, Finger R, Huber R. Actionversus results-based policy designs for agri

    • cultural climate change mitigation. Appl Econ Perspect Policy. 2023;2023;1–28.

    • Haldar N, Pearlin R. Sustainable and Climate Smart Agriculture for Food Security: A Review. J Exp Agric Int. 2023;45(11):229–39.

    • Lipper L, Zilberman D. A Short History of the Evolution of the Climate Smart Agriculture Approach and Its Links to Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture Debates, Climate Smart Agriculture: Building Resilience to Climate Change. Eds LL, McCarthy N, Zilberman D, Asfaw S, G., editors. Branca, FAO; 2018. p. 13–30.

    • OECD. Farmer Behaviour, Agricultural Management and Climate Change. OECD; 2012.

    • OECD. Farm Management Practices to Foster Green Growth [Internet]. Paris: OECD Green Growth Studies, OECD Publishing; 2016. Available from: http:// dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264238657-en

    • Dessart FJ, Barreiro Hurle J, Bavel R. Behavioural factors affecting the adoption of sustainable farming practices: a policy-oriented review. European Review of Agricultural Economics, ISSN. 2019;46(3):417–71.

    • Atış E, Salalı HE, Akyüz Y. Türkiye’de Tarım Politikaları ve Çevre, Cumhuriyetin 100. Yılında Çevre ve Toplum: Endişe de Var, Umut da. In: Eds AEG, Kaya G, A., editors. Şeker, Eğitim yayınevi. 2024. p. 139–54.

    • Rizzo G, Migliore G, Schifani G, Vecchio R. Key factors influencing farmers’ adoption of sustainable innovations: a systematic literature review and research agenda. Org Agr. 2024;14:57–84.

    • Wuepper D, Bukchin-Peles S, Just D, Zilberman D. Behavioral Agricultural Economics. Appl Econ Perspect Policy. 2023;45(4):2094–105.

    • Palm-Forster LH, Messer KD. Experimental and behavioral economics to inform agri-environmental programs and policies. Just D, Barrett C, editors. Handbook of Agricultural Economics. 2021;5(ue:1):4331–406.

    • Czap N V, Czap HJ, Banerjee S, Burbach ME. Encouraging farmers’ participation in the Conservation Stewardship Program: A field experiment. Ecological Economics. 2019;161:130–43.

    • Messer KD, Ganguly D, Xie L. Applications of Behavioral Economics to Climate Change. 2023.

    • Kahneman D, Tversky A. Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica [Internet]. 1979;47(2):263–91. Available from: http://doi.

    • Mullainathan S, Thaler RH. Behavioral Economics [Internet]. 2000. Available from: https://ssrn.com/abstract=245733

    • Kahneman D. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: FSG; 2011.

    • Kahneman D. Maps of bounded rationality: psychology for behavioral economics. Am Econ Rev. 2003;93(5):1449–75.

    • Ariely D. Predictably Irrational, The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. New York: Harper; 2008.

    • Sunstein CR, Jolls C, Thaler RH. A Behavioral Approach to Law and Economics. 1998.

    • OECD. Tackling Environmental Problems with the Help of Behavioural Insights. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2017.

    • Sutherland S. Irrationality: The Enemy Within. London: :Pinter & Martin Ltd; 2013.

    • Trujillo-Barrera A, Pennings JME, Hofenk D. Understanding producers’ motives for adopting sustainable practices: the role of expected rewards, risk perception and risk tolerance. European Review of Agricultural Economics. 2016;43(3):359–82.

    • Kahneman D, Knetsch JL, Thaler RH. Experimental Tests of the Endowment Effect and the Coase Theorem. Journal of Political Economy. 1990;98(6):1325–48. 30. Kahneman D, Knetsch JL, Thaler RH. Anomalies: The Endowment Effect, Loss Aversion, and Status Quo Bias. The Journal of Economic Perspectives. 1991;5(1):193–206.

    • Beckenbach F, Kahlenborn W. New Perspectives for Environmental Policies Through Behavioral Economics. Berlin: Springer; 2016.

    • Samson A. The Behavioral Economics Guide 2022 [Internet]. 2022. Available from: https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/be-guide/.

    • Thaler RH, Sunstein CR. Nudge, Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. New Haven: Yale University Press; 2008.

    • Samuelson W, Zeckhauser RJ. Status quo bias in decision making. J Risk Uncertain. 1988;1:7–59.

    • Burton RJF, Kuczera C, Schwarz G. Exploring farmers’ cultural resistance to voluntary agri-environmental schemes. Sociol Ruralis. 2008;48(1):16–37.

    • Barreiro-Hurle J, Espinosa-Goded M, Martínez-Paz JM, Perni A. Choosing not to choose: a meta-analysis of status quo effects in environmental valuations using choice experiments. Economia Agraria y Recursos Naturales – Agriculture and Resource Economics. 2018;18(1):79–109.

    • O’Donoghue T, Rabin M. Doing It Now or Later. American Economic Review. 1999;89(1):103–24.

    • UNEP. Consuming Differently, Consuming Sustainably: Behavioral Insights for Policymaking [Internet]. United Nations Environment Programme; 2017. Available from: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2404Behavioral%20Insights.pdf,

    • Dolan P, Hallsworth M, Halpern D, King D, Vlaev I. MINDSPACE: Influencing behaviour through public policy. London, UK: Cabinet Office; 2010.

    • Cialdini RB, Reno RR, Kallgren CA. A focus theory of normative conduct: Recycling the concept of norms to reduce littering in public places. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1190;58(6):1015–26.

    • Janusch N, Palm-Forster LH, Messer KD, Ferraro PJ. Behavioral Insights for Agri-Environmental Program and Policy Design. In: 2018 Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting. Agricultural and Applied Economics Association; 2017.

    • Hallsworth M, Kirkman E. Behavioral Insights. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press; 2020.

    • Enste D, Potthoff J. Behavioral economics and climate protection: Better regulation and green nudges for more sustainability. IW-Analysen. 2021;(146).

    • Carrel C, Gavard-Perret ML, Caldara C. Factors of effectiveness of green nudges for more eco-responsible behaviour – Systematic review and research directions. Recherche et Applications En Marketing (English Edition. 2023;38(3):32–76.

    • Kaiser M, Bernauer M, Sunstein CR, Reisch LA. The Power of Green Defaults: The Impact of Regional Variation of Opt-out Tariffs on Green Energy Demand in Germany. Ecological Economics. 2020;174.

    • Schubert C. Green nudges: Do they work? Are they ethical? Ecological Economics, Elsevier. 2017;132(C):329–42.

    • Lourenço JS, Ciriolo E, Almeida SR, Troussard X. Behavioural insights applied to policy: European Report. 2016.

    • Service O, Hallsworth M, Halpern D, Algate F, Gallagher R, Nguyen S, et al. EAST Four simple ways to apply behavioural insights. 2016.

    • Palm-Forster LH, Ferraro PJ, Janusch N. Behavioral and Experimental Agri-Environmental Research: Methodological Challenges, Literature Gaps, and Recommendations. Environ Resource Econ. 2019;73:719–42.

    • Sunstein CR. Too Much Information: Understanding What You Don’t Want to Know. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press; 2020.

    • Kuhfuss L, Préget R, Thoyer S, Hanley N, Le Coent P, Désolé M. Nudges, Social Norms, and Permanence in Agri-environmental Schemes. Land Econ. 2016;92(4):641–55.

    • Dolan P, Hallsworth M, Halpern D, King D, Metcalfe R, Vlaev I. Influencing behaviour: The mindspace way. J Econ Psychol. 2012;33(1):264–77.

    • Chabé-Ferret S, Coent L, p. R, A. S, J. L, D. Can we nudge farmers into saving water? Evidence from a randomised experiment. European Review of Agricultural Economics. 2019;46(ue 3):393–416.

    • Peth D, Mußhoff O, Funke K, Hirschauer N. Nudging Farmers to Comply With Water Protection Rules – Experimental Evidence From Germany. Ecological Economics, Elsevier. 2018;152(C):310–21.

    • Zhang Y, Lu X, Zou Y, Lv T. Nudging Strategies for Arable Land Protection Behavior in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19.

    • de Krom M. Farmer participation in agri-environmental schemes: regionalisation and the role of bridging social capital. Land use policy. 2017;60:352–61.

    • Girard C, Pulido-Velazquez M, Rinaudo J, Pagé C, Caballero Y. Integrating top– down and bottom–up approaches to design global change adaptation at the river basin scale. 2015.

    • Mzoughi N. Farmers adoption of integrated crop protection and organic farming: do moral and social concerns matter? Ecological Economics. 2011;70(8):1536–45.

    onix_3.0::thothThoth ONIX 3.0
    onix_3.0::project_museProject MUSE ONIX 3.0
    onix_3.0::oapenOAPEN ONIX 3.0
    onix_3.0::jstorJSTOR ONIX 3.0
    onix_3.0::google_booksGoogle Books ONIX 3.0
    onix_3.0::overdriveOverDrive ONIX 3.0
    onix_2.1::ebsco_hostEBSCO Host ONIX 2.1
    csv::thothThoth CSV
    json::thothThoth JSON
    kbart::oclcOCLC KBART
    bibtex::thothThoth BibTeX
    doideposit::crossrefCrossRef DOI deposit
    onix_2.1::proquest_ebraryProQuest Ebrary ONIX 2.1
    marc21record::thothThoth MARC 21 Record
    marc21markup::thothThoth MARC 21 Markup
    marc21xml::thothThoth MARC 21 XML

    Share This Chapter!