(How) have human behaviour change interventions influenced livestock farmers’ behaviours in relation to One Welfare components? A scoping review

There is increasing demand for food systems reform that regenerates environmental health, fosters positive animal welfare, and ensures global food security for current and future generations. This exemplifies the One Welfare framework, which explores interconnections between human, animal, and environmental wellbeing. Behavioural sciences can provide valuable insights into farmers’ behavioural determinants, informing ways to promote sustainable shifts in production practices. To analyse the current research landscape this scoping review asked: “how have previous researchers used Human Behaviour Change (HBC) science to design and/or assess interventions aimed at improving livestock farmers’ behaviours in relation to any component of the One Welfare framework?”. Of 9799 peer-reviewed publications, 21 met inclusion criteria. Most investigated behavioural intentions rather than actioned behaviour change. Of the studies that used HBC science to assess interventions, most interventions had not been designed using HBC science. Methodologies were typically underpinned by theoretical frameworks that are suboptimal for intervention design, and there was a lack of diverse representation across existing research efforts. Our findings highlight a missed opportunity to optimally leverage HBC science to catalyse real-world change. As such, any hesitation among farmers to shift production may reflect a failure of interventions to effectively address the barriers they experience. We recommend that upstream actors, including researchers and policymakers, onboard behavioural sciences to inform the development of interventions to support, rather than pressure, livestock farmers. This will aid the mobilisation of food systems reform, safeguarding a habitable planet where human- and non-human animals can thrive, now and into the future.