Discourses on the performance gap of agriculture in a green economy: a Q-methodology study in Indonesia

Gapsexist between aspirations of ‘green agriculture’, which protects biodiversityand ecosystem services, and the reality on the ground. Using Q-methodology, weexplored expert opinion in Indonesia on the contributing factors to the gaps.Q-methodology indicated three dominant discourses on ‘green agriculture’ andgroups of experts who prioritize them: (1) endorsers of regulations andinnovations; (2) providers of resources for access to capital, technology and knowledge;and (3) proponents of green economy (GE) and land-use planning (LUP). Group 1 pointedout the importance of endorsing incentives to reduce the gap, while Group 2reckoned that building smallholders’ capacity and providing them with access tocapital, technology, and knowledge are needed to green agricultural practices.Group 3 described the importance of integrating environmental value into thegross domestic product and earmarking sources derived from environmental leviesfor greening the agricultural sector. All discourses recognized the importanceof scientific policy formulation. Groups 1 and 3 agreed thatnon-synchronization of LUP between national and local governments highlycontributes to the gap. Groups 2 and 3 perceived that ecosystem services fromthe agricultural sector have not been sufficiently under-stood to promote greenagricultural development. By simultaneously addressing the gaps on each leveland understanding how each factor contributes to the gap, we propose a set of recommendationsto improve the implementation of green agriculture in Indonesia by creating a platformthat all three groups can recognize and support.