Factors influencing the acceptance of pesticide-free farming systems by farmers

The application of pesticides has been linked with environmental and health hazards. The reduction of pesticides in agriculture constitutes a major policy issue in Europe. The implementation of pesticide free farming systems can make an important contribution to this issue and to the protection of sensitive natural resources. However, under existing conditions, the uptake of this type of system is often associated with major barriers. It is therefore important to understand which barriers inhibit the introduction of this system and how the acceptance of pesticide -free farming can be increased among farmers. To this end, we use qualitative interviews with conventional and partially pesticide -free farmers in south-west Germany to investigate which factors are decisive for farmers to abandon the use of chemical pesticides. The results show that, in addition to local factors such as soil, weather and farm and marketing structures, personal experience with pesticide -free cultivation and personal expectations regarding yield losses are particularly important acceptance factors. Furthermore, in addition to financial incentives, marketing structures are also needed to achieve cost-covering price increases. Our results provide important insights into the many factors influencing the transition to pesticide -free agriculture and thus contribute to the design of sustainable production systems.