Abstract While soil degradation is continuing to threaten the global agricultural production system, a common understanding of how to encourage sustainable soil management is missing. With this study, we aim to provide new insights on targeted policies that address the heterogeneity of farmers. We scrutinized the plurality of views on soil management among arable farmers in the Austrian (and European) policy context. To do so, we applied Q methodology, a method that identifies different perspectives on a topic present in a population and analyzes this subjectivity statistically. We interviewed 34 arable land farmers who varied in their farming backgrounds. The results yielded four different viewpoints on soil management held by the interviewed farmers: two rather ecocentric perspectives (Nature Participants, Pleasure Seekers) and two rather anthropocentric perspectives (Traditional Food Providers, Profit Maximizers). Our study shows that farmers’ soil management is influenced by more than economic considerations and suggests that a mix of policy approaches is needed to reach all farmers and avoid adverse effects of excluding farmers. We provide several suggestions for policymakers on how to complement agri-environmental policies: appealing to human-nature relationships, offering training and experimentation services, fostering social networks, and raising the social reputation of farmers.

中文翻译：

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农民对土壤管理的多种看法需要政策组合

摘要 虽然土壤退化继续威胁着全球农业生产系统，但缺乏对如何鼓励可持续土壤管理的共识。通过这项研究，我们旨在提供有关解决农民异质性的针对性政策的新见解。我们仔细研究了奥地利（和欧洲）政策背景下耕地农民对土壤管理的多种看法。为此，我们应用了 Q 方法，该方法可识别对人群中某个主题的不同观点，并对该主观性进行统计分析。我们采访了 34 位耕地农民，他们的农业背景各不相同。结果产生了受访农民对土壤管理的四种不同观点：两种相当以生态为中心的观点（自然参与者，快乐寻求者）和两个相当以人类为中心的观点（传统食品供应商，利润最大化者）。我们的研究表明，农民的土壤管理不仅受经济因素的影响，而且表明需要采取多种政策方法来覆盖所有农民并避免将农民排除在外的不利影响。我们为政策制定者提供了一些关于如何补充农业环境政策的建议：吸引人与自然的关系、提供培训和实验服务、培养社交网络以及提高农民的社会声誉。我们的研究表明，农民的土壤管理不仅受经济因素的影响，而且表明需要采取多种政策方法来覆盖所有农民并避免将农民排除在外的不利影响。我们为政策制定者提供了一些关于如何补充农业环境政策的建议：吸引人与自然的关系、提供培训和实验服务、培养社交网络以及提高农民的社会声誉。我们的研究表明，农民的土壤管理不仅受经济因素的影响，而且表明需要采取多种政策方法来覆盖所有农民并避免将农民排除在外的不利影响。我们为政策制定者提供了一些关于如何补充农业环境政策的建议：吸引人与自然的关系、提供培训和实验服务、培养社交网络以及提高农民的社会声誉。