Criteria for Choosing Crop Protection Strategies: Comparative Perspectives From Farmers, Advisors and Researchers

Abstract

Achieving ambitious pesticide reduction goals calls for collaboration and shared vision among multiple stakeholders. This study evaluates whether this is the case in three French pesticide‐intensive production sectors: vine‐growing, orchards and fruits & vegetables farming. To do so, it uses the Q‐method to assess farmers' decision‐making criteria when selecting crop protection strategies, taking stock of technical, economic, and organisational constraints, as well as health and environmental impacts. It also compares these criteria with the perspectives of researchers and advisors on farmers' priorities. After combining a factor analysis with a fractional multilogit model accounting for factor loadings, the findings reveal four distinct profiles across the sample: a competitiveness‐oriented approach; a focus on reducing health and environmental impacts; a risk management perspective; and an integrated vision combining multiple priorities. Being a farmer, advisor or researcher significantly influences the likelihood of belonging to one profile or another. However, close interactions between farmers, researchers, and advisors help bridge differences in priorities, fostering more closely aligned perspectives on crop protection strategies. These results point to key indicators that researchers and advisors could leverage to better inform farmers about alternative crop protection methods, ultimately supporting more sustainable agricultural practices.