Nudging farmers to enrol land into agri-environmental schemes : the role of a collective bonus

This survey was funded by the ONEMA in the framework of the 2011 call for research projects ‘Changer les pratiques agricoles pour préserver les services écosystémiques’, supporting the implementation of the French National Action plan Ecophyto 2018.This article shows that the introduction of a conditional collective bonus in an agri-environmental scheme (AES) can improve farmers’ participation and increase land enrolment for lower overall budgetary costs. This monetary bonus is paid in addition to the usual AES payment if a given threshold is reached in terms of aggregate farmer participation. Using a choice experiment, we estimate the preferences of winegrowers in the South of France for such a bonus. We show that it contributes to increased expectations of farmers on others’ participation, therefore shifting a pro-environmental social norm and favouring the adoption of less pesticide-intensive farming practices.PostprintPeer reviewe