Abstract for: The adoption of conservation tillage in Brandenburg, Germany

Conservation tillage is known to be a suitable alternative to conventional plowing, particularly in regions prone to soil degradation in form of erosion threats and low natural fertility due to soil composition. Conservation tillage, has notable benefits as it increases levels of soil organic matter, leading to higher water holding capacity, higher carbon content and nitrogen in the soil. Nonetheless, adoption of this practice remain limited and require long time horizons for change. A hybrid stock-and-flow diagram captures the interaction of feedbacks, such as peer influence, perceived soil benefits, and policy incentives. The model is build up from a innovation diffusion model and incorporates a simplified soil model, linking the social and soil systems. The study shows how the perception of factors like soil organic matter accumulation, reduced erosion, and fertilizer cost savings lead to an adoption by and reinforces the spread of knowledge. A global sensitivity analysis reveals that contact rates among farmers and the time delay in perceiving conservation benefits exert strong leverage on adoption outcomes. Not only the adoption of innovation can be strengthened but also the exnovation of technologies can be speed up by lowering the attractiveness of the incumbent technology or practice. This would also lower the conversion back from conservation tillage to conventional tillage systems, as the latter loses attractiveness. Grammar and spelling