Assessing the role of stakeholder communication in agricultural adaptation and land-use decision-making

In the face of climate change, land users worldwide must adapt their farming practices to increasing abiotic and biotic pressures. This requires acquisition of new knowledge and technologies and farmers have to navigate local-to-global, complex systems with diverse stakeholders. The concept of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) emerged to better understand and govern knowledge production and innovation uptake in agriculture. Network science principles enable the characterization and assessment of land-use-related communication, its influence on decision-making, and socio-cultural phenomena in natural resource systems.

To contribute to this field, a network survey and analysis was conducted in three Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) Platforms in Austria (Eisenwurzen, EW), Portugal (Montado, MT), and Slovakia (Trnava, TR) to investigate the state of local climate change adaptation and land-users’ communication. Respondents were prompted on socio-demographic, agronomic, and network variables, covering the structure of agricultural/forestry holdings, management intensities, adaptation measures, primary contact persons, and communication characteristics. Local land-users and other stakeholders were surveyed using a snowball approach. Primary data collection occurred between July 2022 and April 2023 via the online open-source application LimeSurvey© (in-person interviews for TR). Datasets were processed and analyzed using Microsoft Excel©, IBM SPSS©, and Gephi© software.

For social network analysis, node-and-edge tables were created, allocating respondents and their contacts to predefined stakeholder groups. Duplicate edges were merged by summing communication frequency values and averaging communication influence values, leading to the creation of farmer-centric and de-centralized land-use networks.

Preliminary results reveal differences and commonalities in the social land-use networks across the study regions. In all three regions, land users communicate most frequently and influentially with fellow land-users, the chambers of agriculture (in EW and TR) and farmers’/foresters’ associations (in MT). EW exhibited more frequent and influential communication with authorities, political representatives, and protected areas than the other regions. The scientific community, however, was prominently rated in MT and TR but not even mentioned in EW. In TR, economic and market actors were among the most frequent/influential contact persons, unlike in MT and EW. MT's land-use network highlights the prominent role of Portuguese land-user associations and private consultants, with a subordinate role for economic and environmental actors.

Calculations of the average degree of influence of the communication on the decision-making varied, with MT having the highest, EW medium, and TR the lowest overall influence. MT also displayed the highest density of actor groups and frequency values, indicating a more coherent network and stronger use of information by Portuguese farmers. Conversely, Slovakian farmers (in TR) appear more reluctant regarding external communication and advice.

In conclusion, network studies prove valuable insights for assessing and analysing AKIS and associated actors, providing a deeper understanding for designing and governing sustainable land-use and climate change adaptation strategies.