b s t r a c t
Governments face increasing pressure to implement effective policy to reduce diffuse water pollution
from agriculture (DWPA). Various strategies and combinations of policy mechanisms have been adopted
by different countries to change farmer behaviours with varying degrees of success. This paper focuses on
the use of advice delivery to farmers as a mechanism to encourage uptake of DWPA mitigation measures
on farms in England.
Farm advisory services in England have dramatically changed over recent years, with concerns that
the sector has become fragmented due to many organisations and businesses offering advice. This paper
studies the role of various farm advisors and organisations providing one-to-one advice by interviewing
81 farm advisors in three agriculturally contrasting regions of England: East Anglia, the North West and
South West. Objectives were to assess: which DWPA mitigation measures are being recommended by
different advisors? How do recommendations differ between sources of advice and is there any conflict?
And which mechanisms do advisors use to influence uptake of advice?
Results from the interviews indicate that the advice delivered and the mechanisms used to influence
uptake of advice vary between organisations and some advisors do indeed have particular roles within the
farm advisory sector. Policy makers therefore need to consider not only what mitigation measures should
be encouraged, but also which organisations and advisors are best placed to deliver on the ground advice
to farmers. There is also scope to incorporate understandings of farm advice provision into catchment
management plans to aid effectiveness of future agri-environmental policy