Motivation
In its most basic form, motivation is an inspiration or impetus to act
(Ryan & Deci, 2000). Being of pivotal importance for actors in carrying
out tasks, motivation can originate from a variety of sources. A
distinction is often made between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation refers to doing something because it is inherently
satisfying or enjoyable, based on an actor’s internal interest (Ryan &
Deci, 2000). It relates to intrinsic life goals, and is driven by
feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2008a).
Extrinsic motivation is characterized by external incentives (e.g.
rewards or avoided punishments) to accomplish something, and may even be
counterproductive to intrinsic motivation (Bhaduri & Kumar, 2011; Ryan
& Deci, 2000). Intrinsic motivation is most crucial for sustainable
change, i.e. motivation which is autonomous and leads to ownership and
genuine engagement in an activity (Vansteenkiste, Simons, Lens, Sheldon,
& Deci, 2004).
Motivation in the PIP approach is about creating ownership and avoiding
that farmers undertake action because of an external reward (like money
or in-kind incentives). It is stimulated from the start, when during PIP
creation – based on their needs and aspirations – families draw their
future vision. Developing a vision provides motivation to act (Greiner
& Gregg, 2011) and visualizing an attainable future gives people an
increased sense of purpose. This is related to self-reliance, with
people feeling competent to achieve something and actively search for
solutions. This autonomous motivation which comes from internal sources
(Deci & Ryan, 2008b) is a strong motivator for good stewardship (Ryan,
Erickson, & De Young, 2003). Furthermore, social capital aspects such
as trust, collaboration and reciprocity have a positive effect on the
motivation of people to manage natural resources collectively (Pretty,
2003), including concrete action to stop soil erosion.