Thomas Slijper, Julia Höhler, Tanja Šumrada, Jens Rommel, Živa Alif, Jesus Barreiro‐Hurle, Anne Sophie Dietrich, Uliana Gottlieb, Thanh Mai Ha, Karin Hakelius, H. Hansson, Vivian Wei Huang, Katja Knez, Gaëlle Leduc, Nina Lind, Yann de Mey, Ana Novak, Harold Opdenbosch, Enoch Owusu‐Sekyere, Oyakhilomen Oyinbo, Anton Perpar, Jaap Sok, Luuk Vissers, Scarlett Wang, Lotte Yanore
ABSTRACT Research based on farmer surveys is a cornerstone of agricultural economics. Farmer surveys provide unique insights into behavioural variables—such as values, motivations, attitudes, behaviours, and preferences—that are unavailable in secondary datasets. However, the decline in farm numbers across most European countries, combined with a growing number of surveys, is posing a threat to farmer survey research. This paper synthesises current practices in farmer surveys in the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Sweden. Our approach is meta‐scientific, drawing on a survey aimed at researchers responsible for 34 farmer surveys conducted between January 2019 and August 2024. This analysis is complemented by a document analysis and critical reflection workshops. We identify three key challenges: (i) limited consistency and standardisation of socio‐economic survey questions, (ii) long surveys, which are associated with high attrition and low response rates, and (iii) low adoption of open science practices. To address these challenges, we propose a set of best practices to enhance the transparency, comparability, standardisation, and reusability of farmer survey data. These best practices aim to strengthen the quality of survey‐based research in agricultural economics and ensure that farmer surveys continue to support evidence‐based policymaking.