ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters have reviewed the scientific, political and economic bases for carbon sequestration in agriculture. So far, however, the farmers themselves have been absent, except as participants in a mechanical process by which money would be given and carbon credits received. It will of course not be like that, as such on-farm initiatives must be reconciled with farmers’ priorities in the context of the broader economy. It may be that some carbon sequestration practices are unattractive to farmers for practical reasons that are not obvious to the outsider. It may also be that some practices can be implemented locally, whereas others require policy changes or even macroeconomic shifts at a higher level. The methodology used in the case study described in the following chapters has been informed by the literature on technology transfer, which suggests that trying to influence farmers’ behaviour can be difficult and is sometimes a bad idea.
