D2: Determining the preferences/valuations of the various stakeholders

The current state of research shows that the integration of annual or perennial deep-rooted aromatic plants, especially in mixed cultivation, could be a building block for making agricultural systems sustainable. Despite the potential benefits of these cultivation systems in terms of the functionality of ecosystems and the strengthening of resilience, they currently have little practical relevance in Germany. There are a few scientific findings on the perception and acceptance of mixed cultivation from the perspective of farmers in Germany, which show, among other things, that a lack of marketing markets and higher harvesting costs are key challenges of mixed cultivation. The results also indicate that the majority of the farmers surveyed perceive mixed cropping as a cultivation strategy with economic risks and disadvantages. However, previous studies for farmers in Germany are based on relatively small samples and are not specifically focused on Hesse, whereas, to our knowledge, there are no studies focusing on mixed cropping, perennial crops or medicinal and aromatic plants for consumers. We are therefore focusing on these two stakeholder groups in this sub-project.

WP 1: Survey of Hessian farmers based on the theory of planned behavior

• Prof. Dr. Ramona Teuber

WP 2: Discrete choice experiments (DCE) with Hessian consumers to determine the appreciation of the various ecosystem services

• Prof. Dr. Ramona Teuber