IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/agrhuv/v39y2022i2d10.1007_s10460-021-10266-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Examining farmers’ adoption of nutrient management best management practices: a social cognitive framework

Author

Listed:
  • Lijing Gao

    (Iowa State University)

  • J. Arbuckle

    (Iowa State University)

Abstract

The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) aims to reduce nutrient loads in waterways from nonpoint sources such as farm fields. Farmers’ voluntary adoption of soil and water conservation practices is crucial for achieving NRS goals. Although the Iowa NRS has been active since 2013, farmer participation and net pollutant reductions have been insufficient. Therefore, continued efforts to understand the motivations and barriers that underlie farmers’ conservation actions in a comprehensive and integrated manner are needed to improve outreach strategies, and research examining the relationships among factors such as farmers’ self-efficacy, motivations, perceived economic pressure, and soil and water conservation practices adoption in row crop production systems is needed to inform that outreach. This research employed social cognitive theory and previous research around the conceptual category of “motivations” to inform the study of relationships between the dynamic precursors and later modifiers of farmers’ adoption of in-field nutrient management Best Management Practices. Data are from the 2014–2016 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. Self-efficacy, collective efficacy, stewardship motivation, crop insurance, perceived economic pressure, age, and crop acres were important predictors of adoption. This research provides innovative insights for policymaking, extension agencies, and other researchers concerning the adoption of nutrient management practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Lijing Gao & J. Arbuckle, 2022. "Examining farmers’ adoption of nutrient management best management practices: a social cognitive framework," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(2), pages 535-553, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:39:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10266-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-021-10266-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-021-10266-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10460-021-10266-2?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roberts, Roland K. & English, Burton C. & Larson, James A. & Cochran, Rebecca L. & Goodman, W. Robert & Larkin, Sherry L. & Marra, Michele C. & Martin, Steven W. & Shurley, W. Donald & Reeves, Jeanne , 2004. "Adoption of Site-Specific Information and Variable-Rate Technologies in Cotton Precision Farming," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 36(1), pages 1-16, April.
    2. Sarah P. Church & Kristin M. Floress & Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad & Chloe B. Wardropper & Pranay Ranjan & Weston M. Eaton & Stephen Gasteyer & Adena Rissman, 2021. "How water quality improvement efforts influence urban–agricultural relationships," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(2), pages 481-498, June.
    3. Walton, Jonathan C. & Lambert, Dayton M. & Roberts, Roland K. & Larson, James A. & English, Burton C. & Larkin, Sherry L. & Martin, Steven W. & Marra, Michele C. & Paxton, Kenneth W. & Reeves, Jeanne , 2008. "Adoption and Abandonment of Precision Soil Sampling in Cotton Production," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 33(3), pages 1-21.
    4. Glenn Sheriff, 2005. "Efficient Waste? Why Farmers Over-Apply Nutrients and the Implications for Policy Design," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 27(4), pages 542-557.
    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.
    7. Lalani, Baqir & Dorward, Peter & Holloway, Garth & Wauters, Erwin, 2016. "Smallholder farmers' motivations for using Conservation Agriculture and the roles of yield, labour and soil fertility in decision making," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 80-90.
    8. Riyan J.G. van den Born & B. Arts & J. Admiraal & A. Beringer & P. Knights & E. Molinario & K. Polajnar Horvat & C. Porras-Gomez & A. Smrekar & N. Soethe & J.L. Vivero-Pol & W. Ganzevoort & M. Bonaiut, 2018. "The missing pillar: Eudemonic values in the justification of nature conservation," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(5-6), pages 841-856, May.
    9. Bruce A. Babcock & David A. Hennessy, 1996. "Input Demand under Yield and Revenue Insurance," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 78(2), pages 416-427.
    10. Vincent H. Smith & Barry K. Goodwin, 1996. "Crop Insurance, Moral Hazard, and Agricultural Chemical Use," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 78(2), pages 428-438.
    11. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    12. Madhu Khanna, 2001. "Non‐Mandatory Approaches to Environmental Protection," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(3), pages 291-324, July.
    13. Babcock, Bruce A. & Pautsch, Gregory R., 1998. "Moving From Uniform To Variable Fertilizer Rates On Iowa Corn: Effects On Rates And Returns," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 23(2), pages 1-16, December.
    14. Gabrielle E. Roesch-McNally & J. Gordon Arbuckle & John Charles Tyndall, 2017. "What would farmers do? Adaptation intentions under a Corn Belt climate change scenario," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(2), pages 333-346, June.
    15. Ali, Sarah & McCann, Laura & Allspach, Jessica, 2012. "Manure Transfers in the Midwest and Factors Affecting Adoption of Manure Testing," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(4), pages 533-548, November.
    16. Barry K. Goodwin & Monte L. Vandeveer & John L. Deal, 2004. "An Empirical Analysis of Acreage Effects of Participation in the Federal Crop Insurance Program," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(4), pages 1058-1077.
    17. Zhang, Wendong & Wilson, Robyn S. & Burnett, Elizabeth & Irwin, Elena G. & Martin, Jay F., 2016. "What motivates farmers to apply phosphorus at the “right” time? Survey evidence from the Western Lake Erie Basin," ISU General Staff Papers 201608040700001588, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    18. Elizabeth R. Schwab & Robyn S. Wilson & Margaret M. Kalcic, 2021. "Exploring the mechanisms behind farmers’ perceptions of nutrient loss risk," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 839-850, September.
    19. Jennifer Blesh & Steven Wolf, 2014. "Transitions to agroecological farming systems in the Mississippi River Basin: toward an integrated socioecological analysis," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(4), pages 621-635, December.
    20. Daxini, Amar & Ryan, Mary & O’Donoghue, Cathal & Barnes, Andrew P., 2019. "Understanding farmers’ intentions to follow a nutrient management plan using the theory of planned behaviour," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 428-437.
    21. Caswell, Margriet & Fuglie, Keith O. & Ingram, Cassandra & Jans, Sharon & Kascak, Catherine, 2001. "Adoption of Agricultural Production Practices: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Area Studies Project," Agricultural Economic Reports 33985, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    22. Rahelizatovo, Noro C. & Gillespie, Jeffrey M., 2004. "The Adoption of Best-Management Practices by Louisiana Dairy Producers," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 36(1), pages 1-12, April.
    23. Robert D. Weaver, 1996. "Prosocial Behavior: Private Contributions to Agriculture's Impact on the Environment," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 72(2), pages 231-247.
    24. John K. Horowitz & Erik Lichtenberg, 1993. "Insurance, Moral Hazard, and Chemical Use in Agriculture," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 75(4), pages 926-935.
    25. Ali, Sarah & McCann, Laura M.J. & Allspach, Jessica, 2012. "Manure Transfers in the Midwest and Factors Affecting Adoption of Manure Testing," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 44(4), pages 1-16, November.
    26. Jean McGuire & Lois Morton & Alicia Cast, 2013. "Reconstructing the good farmer identity: shifts in farmer identities and farm management practices to improve water quality," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 57-69, March.
    27. Mills, Jane & Gaskell, Peter & Ingram, Julie & Chaplin, Stephen, 2018. "Understanding farmers’ motivations for providing unsubsidised environmental benefits," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 697-707.
    28. Greiner, Romy & Patterson, Louisa & Miller, Owen, 2009. "Motivations, risk perceptions and adoption of conservation practices by farmers," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 99(2-3), pages 86-104, February.
    29. Zhang, Zhexi & Abler, Dave & Mu, Yueying, 2018. "Vegetable Insurance, Moral Hazard, and Fertilizer Use: A Micro-Perspective from China," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274416, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    30. Maybery, Darryl & Crase, Lin & Gullifer, Chris, 2005. "Categorising farming values as economic, conservation and lifestyle," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 59-72, February.
    31. Leslie Duram, 2000. "Agents' perceptions of structure: How Illinois organic farmers view political, economic, social, and ecological factors," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 17(1), pages 35-48, March.
    32. Schimmelpfennig, David & Ebel, Robert, 2016. "Sequential Adoption and Cost Savings from Precision Agriculture," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 41(1), pages 1-19, January.
    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. Ke Liu & Zhenhong Qi & Li Tan & Canwei Hu, 2023. "How Neighbors Influence Rice–Crayfish Integrated System Adoption: Evidence from 980 Farmers in the Lower and Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-13, March.
    2. 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).

    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. Daxini, Amar & O'Donoghue, Cathal & Ryan, Mary & Barnes, Andrew & Buckley, Cathal & Daly, Karen, 2018. "Which factors influence farmers’ intentions to adopt nutrient management planning?," 92nd Annual Conference, April 16-18, 2018, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 273494, Agricultural Economics Society.
    2. Daxini, Amar & O'Donoghue, Cathal & Ryan, Mary & Barnes, Andrew & Buckley, Cathal & Daly, Karen, 2018. "Which factors influence farmers’ intentions to adopt nutrient management planning?," 92nd Annual Conference, April 16-18, 2018, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 273498, Agricultural Economics Society.
    3. Jeremy G. Weber & Nigel Key & Erik O’Donoghue, 2016. "Does Federal Crop Insurance Make Environmental Externalities from Agriculture Worse?," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(3), pages 707-742.
    4. Daxini, Amar & O’Donoghue, Cathal & Ryan, Mary & Buckley, Cathal & Barnes, Andrew P., 2018. "Factors influencing farmers' intentions to adopt nutrient management planning: accounting for heterogeneity," 166th Seminar, August 30-31, 2018, Galway, West of Ireland 276183, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Han, Guang & Arbuckle, J. Gordon & Grudens-Schuck, Nancy, 2021. "Motivations, goals, and benefits associated with organic grain farming by producers in Iowa, U.S," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    6. Coleman, Jane A. & Shaik, Saleem, 2009. "Time-Varying Estimation of Crop Insurance Program in Altering North Dakota Farm Economic Structure," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49516, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Glauber, Joseph W., 2017. "Agricultural insurance and the WTO:," IFPRI book chapters, in: Bouët, Antoine & Laborde Debucquet, David (ed.), Agriculture, development, and the global trading system: 2000– 2015, chapter 10, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Caroline Roussy & Aude Ridier & Karim Chaïb, 2014. "Adoption d’innovations par les agriculteurs : rôle des perceptions et des préférences," Post-Print hal-01123427, HAL.
    9. Chongshang Zhang & Kaiyu Lyu & Chi Zhang, 2024. "The Impact of Crop Insurance on Fertilizer Use: Evidence from Grain Producers in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-13, March.
    10. He, Juan & Zheng, Xiaoyong & Rejesus, Roderick & Yorobe, Jose Jr, 2016. "Estimating the Effect of Crop Insurance on Input Use When Insured Farmers are Monitored," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235225, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Geoffroy Enjolras & Magali Aubert, 2018. "Does crop insurance lead to better environmental practices? Evidence from French farms," Post-Print hal-02048349, HAL.
    12. Feng, Shuaizhang & Han, Yujie & Qiu, Huanguang, 2021. "Does crop insurance reduce pesticide usage? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    13. Lubowski, Ruben N. & Bucholtz, Shawn & Claassen, Roger & Roberts, Michael J. & Cooper, Joseph C. & Gueorguieva, Anna & Johansson, Robert C., 2006. "Environmental Effects Of Agricultural Land-Use Change: The Role Of Economics And Policy," Economic Research Report 33591, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    14. Ioanna Grammatikopoulou & Eija Pouta & Sami Myyrä, 2016. "Exploring the determinants for adopting water conservation measures. What is the tendency of landowners when the resource is already at risk?," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(6), pages 993-1014, June.
    15. Daxini, Amar & Ryan, Mary & O’Donoghue, Cathal & Barnes, Andrew P., 2019. "Understanding farmers’ intentions to follow a nutrient management plan using the theory of planned behaviour," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 428-437.
    16. Juan He & Xiaoyong Zheng & Roderick Rejesus & Jose Yorobe, 2020. "Input use under cost‐of‐production crop insurance: Theory and evidence," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(3), pages 343-357, May.
    17. Lu, Xun & Che, Yuyuan & Rejesus, Roderick M. & Goodwin, Barry K. & Ghosh, Sujit K. & Paudel, Jayash, 2023. "Unintended environmental benefits of crop insurance: Nitrogen and phosphorus in water bodies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    18. Salazar, Cesar & Jaime, Marcela & Pinto, Cristian & Acuna, Andres, 2019. "Interaction between crop insurance and technology adoption decisions: The case of wheat farmers in Chile," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 63(3), July.
    19. Geoffroy Enjolras & Magali Aubert, 2020. "How does crop insurance influence pesticide use? Evidence from French farms," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 101(4), pages 461-485, December.
    20. Dependra Bhatta & Krishna P. Paudel & Kai Liu, 2023. "Factors influencing water conservation practices adoptions by Nepali farmers," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(10), pages 10879-10901, October.

    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:spr:agrhuv:v:39:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10460-021-10266-2. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.