Exploring the drivers of farm sustained participation
in agri-environmental programmes
Štefan Bojnec – Imre Fertő
Agricultural and Food Economics – 13, 50 (2025) – Published: 25 August 2025
This paper examines the socioeconomic and institutional determinants influencing sustained participation in Agri-Environmental Climate Schemes (AECS), drawing on comprehensive panel data from Slovenian farms covering the period 2014–2021. Using discrete-time hazard models and nonparametric duration analysis, we identify economic resilience—characterised by larger farm size, income diversification, and prior participation—as a significant driver of prolonged AECS engagement. Conversely, greater dependence on market-based income is negatively correlated with long-term participation, highlighting inherent trade-offs between short-term economic gains and sustained ecological commitments. Additionally, educational attainment exhibits a modest yet positive association, emphasising the importance of knowledge dissemination and capacity building in facilitating the responsible use and sustained environmental protection. Our findings underscore the necessity for context-specific policy designs, advocating diversified financial incentives, robust extension services, and market-aligned strategies to effectively integrate agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability.
Keywords: Agri-environmental climate scheme management, Farm corporate social
responsibility, Sustainable farm production adoption, Selection model, Duration
analysis, Discrete-time models
