Hungarian results-based agri-environmental pilot scheme

“I was sceptical, really sceptical (…) And then, toward the end of the project, we had a field day in the Őrség (…). And you get the hang of it.(…) So it is possible to check this kind of biodiversity target in a tangible, relatively objective way. That was a kind of revelation too, that this can actually work under fairly objective conditions.”

The seed

In the species-rich grasslands of the Őrség region in western Hungary, a novel experiment was launched: co-designing a results-based agri-environmental payment scheme that links farmer payments directly to biodiversity outcomes. Developed through Contracts2.0, this seed innovation combined social learning, participatory design, and a low-tech, farmer-friendly monitoring approach to address the steady decline of biodiversity-positive farming in a protected but fragile landscape. The seed lies in reversing a decade-long trend of farmer dropout from action-based schemes, by building a payment system rooted in motivation, local knowledge and shared ecological goals.

The drivers

The innovation was made possible by an alignment of motivated actors: the Őrség National Park Directorate seeking new tools to collaborate with farmers; social scientists from ESSRG facilitating participatory processes; local farmers open to engagement when their knowledge was genuinely valued; and national policymakers curious about results-based approaches at a moment when EU CAP reforms were pushing in that direction. Four years of EU research funding provided a stable platform for workshops, field visits, a study trip to Austria, and the creation of both a local Innovation Lab and a national Policy Lab. The participatory process — including vision workshops, joint monitoring trials, and cross-sectoral dialogue — built unprecedented trust between the national park and the farming community, turning historical tensions into a collaborative foundation.

The obstacles

Despite the process’s success, no regional pilot has been launched. Key barriers included the short remaining time in the CAP funding period; the novelty and perceived financial risk of results-based payments in Hungary’s legal framework; and a lack of sustained political commitment at the highest levels, compounded by staff turnover among key ministry staff. Structural challenges in the Őrség itself — ageing farmers, declining animal husbandry, limited digital skills, and a small and regionally specific context — also complicate scaling and transfer. The national park’s historically ambiguous role as both conservator and regulator created a difficult starting atmosphere, though the participatory process largely overcame this.

The transformation potential

The Őrség innovation process demonstrates that transformative change in agri-environmental policy is possible even under adverse conditions — but it is rarely linear. The process generated lasting outcomes: deepened trust between farmers and conservationists, improved participatory and digital skills, new cross-institutional alliances, and a well-tested, low-tech monitoring system ready to be reactivated when policy windows open.

At the policy level, the results-based approach could be extended beyond the Őrség to other regions and other domains — a recent national call on water management has already incorporated elements of results-based logic. At the technical level, there is potential to combine the currently low-tech field monitoring with digital tools: the Hungarian State Treasury’s Mobilgazda App — a mobile application already used by farmers for administrative tasks — could be extended to enable farmer self-monitoring of biodiversity impacts, linking everyday farm management directly to conservation outcomes. At the personal level, the mentoring-style relationship between farmers and conservationists points toward a deeper, values-based shift in how farmers relate to the land they manage.

A Hungarian results-based agri-environmental pilot scheme backed by a mobile app for farmers

The seed

The drivers

The obstacles

The transformation potential

Kármen Czett

Eszter Kelemen

Gergő Berta

A Hungarian results-based agri-environmental pilot scheme backed by a mobile app for farmers

The seed

The drivers

The obstacles

The transformation potential

Kármen Czett

Eszter Kelemen

Gergő Berta

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