Agronomy is paramount: A case study on the mismatch between farm-scale measures and policy instruments for drought adaptation in Seewinkel, Austria

Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns require substantial adaptation strategies in the agricultural sector to prepare for future drought hazards. The semi-arid region of Seewinkel in Austria faces a falling groundwater table and tightening water resource conflicts. Consequently, policymakers initiated regulations and funding instruments in line with European agricultural policy and issued regional water management plans. Based on 20 semi-structured qualitative interviews with farmers, the present paper investigates the cognitive, social, policy, economic and agronomic factors underlying the implementation of specific drought adaptation measures on a farm scale. Agronomic considerations such as production practices, timing of management steps, pest control or soil conditions play a central role. Policy instruments and farmers’ capacities are misaligned, however; farmers take funding only if it aligns with their prevailing production strategy or forego funding because requirements are deemed too restrictive. Thus, current policy instruments have only marginal effects on drought adaptation and fail to encourage transformation, which may similarly apply to other semi-arid regions beyond Austria. Policy instruments should better support the transition from adaptive to transformative capacity by means of progressive subsidies, higher flexibility within funding frameworks and support for tackling practical obstacles. Targeted incentives for comprehensive adaptation strategies should address the farm scale, regional approaches and intersections with other policy domains. The need for a coherent long-term strategy and corresponding policy instruments to foster substantial transformation on a farm scale and beyond is even more pressing, considering that the ongoing structural change of the agricultural sector is exacerbated by climate change.