Afforestation on agricultural land in England: Applying the Theoretical Domains Framework and Behaviour Change Wheel to identify the enablers of change within farmer behaviour

Abstract

Increasing woodland creation and tree planting on agricultural land requires significant changes in farmer behaviour. Understanding the underlying factors influencing farmers' behaviour can help to inform the design and development of effective policies and interventions that aim to facilitate an increase in tree cover and woodland on farmland. This paper presents a systematic review of 104 studies, analysed using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) model to identify the barriers and enabling factors that will help or hinder woodland creation and tree planting on farmland. These insights, together with the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), support the identification of policy interventions aimed at facilitating farmer behaviour change. The most frequently reported TDF domains related to ‘environmental context and resources’, particularly in terms of individual characteristics (e.g. age, education, life stage), structural on-farm factors (e.g. tenure, farm size, land suitability) and access to government grant schemes; and ‘social influences’ such as group norms, peer networks and consumer demand. Motivational factors such as ‘professional identity’ and ‘beliefs about consequences’ were also important enablers or barriers. Heterogeneity of the farming community means that a mix of interventions is required which align with the different beliefs, values, attitudes and contexts of farmers. Applying the TDF and BCW to farm woodland creation behaviour can be helpful for developing theory-informed policy interventions, but the method could be improved through adaptation to account for the specific context of farmer behaviour.