Farmers’ decision to participate in agri-environmental measures for the conservation of extensive grasslands in the Haloze region | Odločanje kmetov z območja Haloz o vključevanju v kmetijsko-okoljske ukrepe za ohranjanje ekstenzivne rabe travinja

English. Understanding the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to participate in agri-environmental measures (AEMs) is crucial to meeting the environmental goals of agricultural policy. We investigated the factors of farmers’ involvement in AEM aimed at maintaining extensive grassland use by analysing data from a survey of 258 farms and 40 interviews with farmers in the Haloze region. Results show that, in addition to adequate payment, farmers’ attitudes towards grassland conservation and their self-identity are also important factors in increasing their willingness to join AEMs. A production-oriented view of farming prevailed among the interviewed farmers, with grassland conservation being important to them primarily in terms of maintaining a tidy landscape and achieving production and economic goals, while biodiversity conservation was often of negligible importance. The results indicate the educational and extension need in terms of farmers’ understanding of the relationship between agriculture and nature conservation. The latter can be encouraged by strengthening advisory support and the use of locally and practically oriented knowledge transfer approaches, as well as by introducing result-based AEMs.

Slovenian. Razumevanje dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na odločitev kmetov za vključitev v kmetijsko-okoljske ukrepe (KOU), je ključnega pomena za doseganje zastavljenih okoljskih ciljev kmetijske politike. Z analizo podatkov, ki smo jih pridobili z anketo na 258 kmetijah in z 40 intervjuji s kmeti na območju Haloz, smo raziskali dejavnike vključevanja kmetov v KOU, ki so namenjeni ohranjanju ekstenzivne rabe travinja. Največji vpliv na pripravljenost kmetov za vključevanje v KOU so imeli višina plačila in s tem vpliv ukrepa na dohodek kmetije ter odnos kmetov do kmetijske dejavnosti in ohranjanja narave. Med anketirani kmeti je prevladovala osredotočenost na proizvodnjo, medtem ko so pomen ohranjanja travinja povezovali predvsem z zagotavljanjem urejene krajine ter doseganja proizvodnih in ekonomskih ciljev. Ohranjanje travinja iz vidika biotske pestrosti je imelo med večino anketirancev manjši, pogosto zanemarljiv pomen. Rezultati kažejo na potrebo po okrepitvi izobraževanja z namenom izboljšanja razumevanja povezav med kmetijstvom in naravo. Slednje je mogoče spodbuditi s krepitvijo svetovalne podpore ter uporabo lokalno in praktično naravnanih pristopov prenosa znanja, pa tudi z uvedbo rezultatsko zasnovanih KOU.