This study argues for a change in emphasis of support to ensure greater
targeting of agri environment schemes in order to deliver a range of real
environmental goals on Welsh farmland.
Phase-one of this study undertaken during 2004 and 2005 developed two
sets of arguments for targeting farms and farmers for stewardship; the first
argument asserts that in order for agri environmental policy delivery to be
successful, eligible farms must be targeted, the second states that simply
persuading farmers to sign up is not the whole answer, whereas targeting
individual farmers based on their ability to deliver environmentally positive
outcomes offers significant policy benefits. Targeting environmentally
positive outcomes on eligible farms and able farmers is a judicious use of
finite resources. Data generated through the survey of 206 farms undertaken
in the contrasting landscapes of Snowdonia and Anglesey in North Wales
during 2005 were used to test the arguments for targeting eligible farms and
individual farmers based on ability. The phase-one study developed a
typology of farmers founded on their ability to deliver conservation benefits.
The typology supplied a framework to select farmers for participatory phase-two research.
In the context of phase-two of this study undertaken in 2006, recognition of
the importance of overcoming some of the tensions involved in the top-down
management of the agri-environment was considered. The means of
harnessing farmers' knowledge to achieve bespoke outcomes for the agri
environment was explored. Phase-two developed a participative approach to
incorporate farmers' local knowledge to build targeted agri environmental
scheme plans tailored specifically to individual farms.
The contributions of this thesis are twofold; firstly the research has
contributed via the construction of a method that supports the targeting of
resources to deliver a range of environmentally positive outcomes harnessing
the valuable human capital that exists within the farming community.
Secondly the thesis has developed a practical means for applying concepts
using participative approaches. In 2006, 20 farmers helped develop a
practical and participative methodology for targeted agri environmental
scheme plans. This thesis has shown that by means of improved governance,
agri environmental stewardship may be better targeted on Welsh farmland to
supply environmentally positive outcomes based on farmers' ability to deliver
conservation benefits.