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A farm systems approach to the adoption of sustainable nitrogen management practices in California

Author

Listed:
  • Jessica Rudnick

    (University of California San Diego
    University of California Davis)

  • Mark Lubell

    (University of California Davis)

  • Sat Darshan S. Khalsa

    (University of California Davis)

  • Stephanie Tatge

    (The Freshwater Trust)

  • Liza Wood

    (University of California Davis)

  • Molly Sears

    (University of California Berkeley)

  • Patrick H. Brown

    (University of California Davis)

Abstract

Improving nitrogen (N) fertilizer management in agricultural systems is critical to meeting environmental goals while maintaining economically viable and productive food systems. This paper applies a farm systems framework to analyze how adoption of N management practices is related to different farming operation characteristics and the extent to which fertilizer, soil and irrigation practices are related to each other. We develop a multivariate probit regression model to analyze the interdependency of these adoption behaviors from 966 farmers across three watersheds and diverse cropping systems in the Central Valley of California. Our analysis demonstrates that farmers adopt varying combinations or portfolios of practices, with the most common portfolio featuring a core set of fertilizer-focused practices. Irrigation infrastructure is an especially important farm operation characteristic for encouraging adoption of innovative practice portfolios that integrate water and fertilizer management. These findings highlight the ability for a farm systems approach to improve our understanding of farmer decision-making across diverse agricultural landscapes.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica Rudnick & Mark Lubell & Sat Darshan S. Khalsa & Stephanie Tatge & Liza Wood & Molly Sears & Patrick H. Brown, 2021. "A farm systems approach to the adoption of sustainable nitrogen management practices in California," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 783-801, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:38:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10190-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-021-10190-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Wood, Liza & Lubell, Mark & Rudnick, Jessica & Khalsa, Sat Darshan S. & Sears, Molly & Brown, Patrick H., 2022. "Mandatory information-based policy tools facilitate California farmers’ learning about nitrogen management," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    2. Devon Johnson & Maya Almaraz & Jessica Rudnick & Lauren E. Parker & Steven M. Ostoja & Sat Darshan S. Khalsa, 2023. "Farmer Adoption of Climate-Smart Practices Is Driven by Farm Characteristics, Information Sources, and Practice Benefits and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-12, May.
    3. Han, Guang & Niles, Meredith T., 2023. "An adoption spectrum for sustainable agriculture practices: A new framework applied to cover crop adoption," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).

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