IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/agreko/267802.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Soil Conservation Practices On Commercial Farms In Kwazulu - Natal

Author

Listed:
  • Barlow, G. R.
  • Nieuwoudt, W. L.
  • Levin, J. B.

Abstract

A multi-stage adoption-decision process is modelled to isolate factors influencing commercial fanners' decisions to implement soil conservation measures. The models are estimated using logistic regression analysis, and represent fanners' awareness of erosion occurring, perceptions that it is a problem worth resolving, and technical and financial abilities to implement appropriate soil conservation measures. Data were collected from five different commercial farming regions in KwaZulu - Natal. Results show visible erosion impacts, formal agricultural education, and perceptions reflecting the seriousness of erosion's impacts on the environment, positively influence awareness. Fanners investing their own capital when implementing soil conservation measures, and those doing this with no outside technical assistance are more likely to perceive erosion as worth resolving. Knowledge of erosion's adverse implications for agricultural productivity and the importance of extension officers for providing information on erosion and conservation decisions also influence this stage positively. Those with the technical ability to implement and maintain conservation measures regularly attend soil conservation courses, and help others implement conservation practices. Inadequate technical skills to implement soil conservation measures appears to be a major constraining factor within the adoption process. Financial ability is positively influenced by farmers' willingness to invest their own capital in conservation measures, larger proportions of fann area under crops, and perceptions reflecting on-farm financial and managerial benefits from soil conservation. Government expenditure should perhaps be targeted at extension programs to improve farmers' technical abilities to implement conservation practices, and at education and research that emphasises individual benefits of soil conservation.

Suggested Citation

  • Barlow, G. R. & Nieuwoudt, W. L. & Levin, J. B., 1995. "Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Soil Conservation Practices On Commercial Farms In Kwazulu - Natal," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 34(3), September.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:agreko:267802
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.267802
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/267802/files/02-Barlow.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/267802/files/02-Barlow.pdf?subformat=pdfa
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.267802?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nielsen, Elizabeth G. & Miranowski, John A. & Morehart, Mitchell J, 1989. "Investments in Soil Conservation and Land Improvements: Factors Explaining Farmers' Decisions," Agricultural Economic Reports 308064, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Miranowski, John & Nielsen, E. & Morehart, M., 1989. "Investments in Soil Conservation and Land Improvements: Factors Explaining Farmers Decisions," Staff General Research Papers Archive 11145, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    3. Norris, Patricia E. & Batie, Sandra S., 1987. "Virginia Farmers' Soil Conservation Decisions: An Application of Tobit Analysis," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 79-90, July.
    4. Norris, Patricia E. & Batie, Sandra S., 1987. "Virginia Farmers' Soil Conservation Decisions: An Application Of Tobit Analysis," Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 19(1), pages 1-12, July.
    5. Brian W. Gould & William E. Saupe & Richard M. Klemme, 1989. "Conservation Tillage: The Role of Farm and Operator Characteristics and the Perception of Soil Erosion," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 65(2), pages 167-185.
    6. Christine A. Ervin & David E. Ervin, 1982. "Factors Affecting the Use of Soil Conservation Practices: Hypotheses, Evidence, and Policy Implications," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(3), pages 277-292.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Anim, F. D. K. & van Schalkwyk, H. D., 1996. "Tenure Arrangements And Access To Credit:The Case Of Small-Scale Farmers In The Northern Province," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 35(4), December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, H. Holly & Young, Douglas L. & Camara, Oumou M., 2000. "The Role Of Environmental Education In Predicting Adoption Of Wind Erosion Control Practices," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 25(2), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Bockstael, N. & Costanza, R. & Strand, I. & Boynton, W. & Bell, K. & Wainger, L., 1995. "Ecological economic modeling and valuation of ecosystems," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 143-159, August.
    3. Burnett, Wesley & Szmurlo, Daniel & Callahan, Scott, 2022. "Land tenure and conservation adoption: An analysis of contracts and incentives," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322244, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Burnett, J. Wesley & Szmurlo, Daniel & Callahan, Scott, 2024. "Farmland Rental and Conservation Practice Adoption," Economic Information Bulletin 341821, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    5. Lichtenberg, Erik & Strand, Ivar E.Jr. & Lantin, Rhona M. & Lessley, Billy V., 1990. "Factors Influencing Adoption of Best Management Practices in Maryland," Working Papers 197616, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    6. Barlow, G. R. & Nieuwoudt, W. L., 1995. "Factors Influencing Soil Conservation Effort And Adoption On Commercial Farms In Kwazulu-Natal," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 34(3), September.
    7. Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Cocchi, Horacio & Solís, Daniel, 2006. "Adoption of Soil Conservation Technologies in El Salvador: A Cross-Section and Over-Time Analysis," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 2894, Inter-American Development Bank.
    8. Franco, Juan Agustin & Calatrava-Requena, Javier, 2008. "Adoption and diffusion of no tillage practices in Southern Spain olive groves," 2008 International Congress, August 26-29, 2008, Ghent, Belgium 44014, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Jordan, Jeffrey L. & Elnagheeb, Abdelmoneim H., 1992. "The Structure Of Citizen Preferences For Government Soil Erosion Control Programs," Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 24(2), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Liu, Hongmei & Huang, Qiuqiong, 2013. "Adoption and continued use of contour cultivation in the highlands of southwest China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 28-37.
    11. Upadhyay, Bharat Mani & Young, Douglas L. & Wang, H. Holly & Wandschneider, Philip R., 2002. "How Do Farmers Who Adopt Multiple Conservation Practices Differ From Their Neighbors?," 2002 Annual Meeting, July 28-31, 2002, Long Beach, California 36658, Western Agricultural Economics Association.
    12. Bayard, Budry & Jolly, Curtis, 2007. "Environmental behavior structure and socio-economic conditions of hillside farmers: A multiple-group structural equation modeling approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(3-4), pages 433-440, May.
    13. Bekelc Shiferaw & Stein T. Holden, 1998. "Resource degradation and adoption of land conservation technologies in the Ethiopian Highlands: A case study in Andit Tid, North Shewa," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 18(3), pages 233-247, May.
    14. Calatrava-Leyva, Javier & Franco, Juan Agustin & Gonzalez-Roa, Maria del Carmen, 2005. "Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices in Olive Groves: The Case of Spanish Mountainous Areas," 2005 International Congress, August 23-27, 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark 24661, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    15. Magali Aubert & Jean Marie Codron & Sylvain Rousset & Murat Yercan, 2017. "Which factors lead tomato growers to implement integrated pest management? Evidence from Turkey," Post-Print hal-02735805, HAL.
    16. Franco, Juan Agustin & Calatrava-Leyva, Javier, 2006. "Adoption of Soil Erosion Control Practices in Southern Spain Olive Groves," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25787, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. Lichtenberg, Erik, 2001. "Adoption Of Soil Conservation Practices: A Revealed Preference Approach," Working Papers 28609, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    18. Giovanopoulou, Eirini & Nastis, Stefanos A. & Papanagiotou, Evagelos, 2011. "Modeling farmer participation in agri-environmental nitrate pollution reducing schemes," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 2175-2180, September.
    19. Kalaitzandonakes, Nicholas G. & Monson, Michael J., 1994. "An Analysis Of Potential Conservation Effort Of Crp Participants In The State Of Missouri: A Latent Variable Approach," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 26(1), pages 1-9, July.
    20. Lichtenberg, Erik & Strand, Ivar E. Jr. & Lessley, Billy V., 1991. "Subsidizing Agricultural Nonpoint-Source Pollution Control: Targeting Cost Sharing and Technical Assistance," Working Papers 197760, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:agreko:267802. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aeasaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.