Policy brief – Result-based payments for behavioural change
This work builds on research conducted as part of the EU Horizon Enfasys project on drivers and strategies for breaking through lock-ins and facilitating transition at the agri-food systems level, drawing on cross-comparative case studies from Switzerland, France, and Wallonia.
Presentation
Green payments, or payments for environmental services (PES), are enshrined in the agricultural policies of the European Union and its member states through various instruments of the green architecture, including eco-schemes and agri-environmental measures (AECMs).
In this study, SYTRA and FiBL drew on discussions with stakeholders to examine innovations in design and implementation that underpin the adoption and environmental effectiveness of these payments, with the aim of developing a series of recommendations at various levels to strengthen their impact.
This work is based on the co-development of a theory of change for the AECMs and an effort to identify strategic policy interventions addressing leverage points found within the governance of the CAP implementation.
This work served as the basis for discussion at the closing event of the ENFASYS project on June 16, 2026, in Brussels, attended by various stakeholders committed to mechanisms for the co-development of agri-environmental policies.
Both teams extend their warmest thanks to all stakeholders in the Walloon, French, and Swiss regions who participated in the co-construction process between 2022 and 2026, as well as to the field & policy experts consulted at different stages of the process to ensure that the recommendations were grounded in the challenges of the CAP transformation.
