Identifying the Determining Factors of the Adoption of Ecological Practices by Dairy Farms in Suceava County, Romania

The present paper aims to identify the main factors for the adoption of ecological practices by dairy farmers from Dornelor Basin, Suceava county. In the last decade, this topic has received increased attention from the academic sector, in order to better understand the determining factors that can lead to a transition to ecological farming practices, as part of the efforts to protect biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. The main results highlight that the decision to adopt ecological farming practices is based on a mix of economic, social, institutional, and behavioural factors, closely related to farmers’ self-identity, experience, motivation and social context in which they carry out their activity. Some studies indicate that the best method to support this transition to more sustainable practices is to influence farmers’ motivation and behaviour, while other studies focus on a broader approach that calls for social, economic, technological, and institutional changes at the level of different actors (farmers, supply chain, natural resource management, etc.). In this context, the present study uses a large-scale survey implemented on 52 dairy cow farms in the Dornelor Basin, in order to analyse the main factors for the adoption of ecological practices. The questionnaire used for data collection specifically sought to find out farmers’ opinions regarding different elements, of personal, institutional, and motivational nature. Data were processed using the SPSS software, standard statistical methods and non-parametric tests. The preliminary results indicate that in the case of dairy farms from the Dornelor Basin, the main factors that influence the decision to adopt ecological practices are related to individual motivation (mainly personal/family issues), social norms (e.g., their identification as farmers and belonging to the farming community), and certain economic and environmental benefits (such as high profitability and biodiversity improvement).