Farmers hold diverse and connected values towards crops.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Social Science
• Ecology

Background:

• Farmer decision-making is often driven by yield and profit, overlooking diverse crop values.
• Sustainable agricultural transformations require understanding the multiple values farmers assign to crops and agroecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diversity of values farmers attribute to crops, crop mixes, and agroecosystems.
• To analyze how these values connect economic, agronomic, social, cultural, and ecological dimensions.
• To inform research and policy by integrating diverse farmer values.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a literature review of 125 studies (2010-2022).
• Analyzed 1,716 reports of farmer values for 135 crop species across 67 countries and 20 agroecosystems.

Main Results:

• Farmers' values are diverse, encompassing economic, agronomic, social, cultural, and ecological aspects.
• While yield and profit are prominent, social and cultural values (e.g., identity, preferences) are also crucial.
• Values vary by farm size, market orientation, and crop type, and are influenced by external factors like markets and climate change.

Conclusions:

• Interdisciplinary approaches are essential to understand the complexity of farmers' crop decisions.
• Integrating diverse values into research and policy is recommended to support sustainable agriculture.
• Recognizing the full spectrum of farmer values can drive sustainable agricultural transformations.