Landlord influence on soil conservation practice adoption (original) (raw)
Related papers
Owner or tenant: Who adopts better soil conservation practices?
Land Use Policy, 2015
Land tenure security is widely considered to be a fundamental factor in motivating farmers to adopt sustainable land management practices. This study aims to establish whether it is true that owneroperators adopt more effective soil conservation measures than tenant-operators, and whether welldesigned agro-environmental instruments can provide sufficiently strong motivation to compensate for the differences between these two groups.
Do farmers care about rented land? A multi-method study on land tenure and soil conservation
Land Use Policy
Does ownership status of agricultural land determine farmers' soil use behaviour? Why (not)? We investigate this old question using multiple methods and data. We apply econometric analysis to plot-level data to determine whether planting decisions differ between rented and owned plots. In addition, we analyse interviews with Austrian farmers with the aim of explaining (a lack of) differences. We find a very small influence of tenancy on crop choice in the quantitative part of the study, and qualify these findings in the qualitative part. If at all, interviewed farmers treat rented and owned land differently primarily with respect to fertilization or liming, particularly if the rental is insecure or short-term. We find that renting is often perceived as long-term and secure in Austria, resulting in equal soil conservation behaviour on rented and owned plots. Personal relationships between renter and landowner as well as farmers' attitudes additionally support soil conservation.
Land Use Policy, 2019
Agricultural conservation programs often focus on farm operators when promoting conservation practices. However, much of U.S. farmland is owned by landowners not directly involved in farm operations. Rental arrangements on these lands can dis-incentivize the adoption of conservation practices that could improve soil health, water quality, and land values. To date, agricultural conservation policy has largely ignored the role of non-operating landowners (NOLs) and rental arrangements. We help improve the evidence-base for policy by identifying barriers to adoption of conservation practices on rented farmlands. Analysis of forty interviews with NOLs, operators, farm managers and university extension personnel in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana revealed five categories of barriers: cash rent lease terms, rental market dynamics, information deficits/asymmetries, cognitive/interpersonal, and financial motivations. Some barriers, such as risk aversion and farm aesthetics were expressed by both NOLs and operators,
Tenants and part-owners are farming an increasing number of acres in the United States, while fullowners are farming fewer acres. This shift in ownership is a potential cause for concern because some previous research indicated that tenant and part-owner farmers were less likely to adopt conservation practices than farmers who owned the land they farmed. If that trend persists, ownership changes would signal a national drop in conservation adoption. Here we examine this issue using a survey of agricultural operators in the Clear Creek watershed in Iowa, a state with intensive agricultural production. We compare adoption of conservation practices, and preferences for conservation information sources and communication channels, between farmers who rent some portion of the land they farm (tenants and part-owners) and farmers who own all of the land they farm (full-owners). We find that renters are more likely to practice conservation tillage than full-owners, though they are less likely to rotate crops. In addition, renters report using federal government employees (specifically, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency) as their primary sources of conservation information, while full-owners most frequently rely on neighbors, friends, and County Extension. These findings are significant for conservation policy because, unlike some past research, they indicate that renters are not resistant to all types of conservation practices, echoing recent studies finding an increase in conservation adoption among non-full-owners. Our results emphasize the importance of government conservation communication and can inform outreach efforts by helping tailor effective, targeted conservation strategies for owners and renters.
Rural Sociology, 2010
The need to better understand landlord involvement in decision-making related to pesticide use and water quality issues is evidenced by several trends. These trends include the increasing documentation of water pollution by farm pesticides, the changing characteristics of farm ownership and operator tenure, and evolutions in resource policy and protection planning. This paper utilizes a theoretical approach to the sociology of land tenure to interpret results from an investigation of landlord involvement in environmental decision making regarding pesticide selection on rented land. Eight counties with high susceptibility of water contamination by pesticides were selected for study. Structured, in-person interviews were administered to in-eounty landlords, and a mail survey was used to poll out-of-eounty landlords. Results indicate that participation is generally low with very little difference between landlord groups. Renters make most of the organizational and operational decisions on rented farmland. Landlord participation is predominantly based on economic, rather than on social or environmental, factors. Furthermore, while economic variables are important predictors of participation for both groups, gender and social ties to the renter tend to increase local landlord involvement, but not absentee involvement. These results have important implications for both federal programs and further research on land tenure and environmental stewardship. "Do landlords, compared to their tenant farmers, have much control over their land?" (Gilbert and Beckley 1993:571) "Are absentee landowners as concerned about pesticide contamination of drinking water as resident owners?" (Wunderlich 1993:549
Landownership and the Adoption of Minimum Tillage
American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1983
These losses may affect adversely the potential productivity of U.S. cropland as well as water quality in streams and rivers. Land tenure arrangements and farm size are among the landownership factors hypothesized to affect investments in soil conservation and thus soil erosion rates (Held and Clawson, pp. 253-282; Block, p. 21). If significant differences in soil conservation adoption occur among easily identified groups of landowners, this information could be useful in developing public policies to encourage soil conservation and reduce soil loss. This paper assesses the relationships between landownership and the adoption of minimum tillage and residue management-practices that can on some soils be very effective in controlling soil loss and reducing total input costs (Crosson, pp. 4-14). Hypotheses about landownership on soil conservation investments for their applicability to minimum tillage. relating landownership and minimum tillage the effect of are evaluated National data practices are analyzed with a logit model and policy implications are discussed.
Landlord Influence on More Intensive Rotations or Direct Seeding Adoption in Eastern Washington
2000
Data for this study came from a small survey of participants at field days and farm meetings in Benton, Lincoln, and Whitman Counties during 2003. The sample included 27 farmer-tenants and 11 landlords. Logit regression analysis was conducted to statistically measure how closely different farm and farmer characteristics were related to the farmer's perception of landlords' support for direct seeding.
The need to better understand landlord involvement in decision making related to pesticide use and water quality issues is evidenced by several trends. These trends include the increasing documentation of water pollution by farm pesticides, the changing characteristics of farm ownership and operator tenure, and evolutions in resource policy and protection planning. This paper utilizes a theoretical approach to the sociology of land tenure to interpret results from an investigation of landlord involvement in environmental decision making regarding pesticide selection on rented land. Eight counties with high susceptibility of water contamination by pesticides were selected for study. Structured, in-person interviews were administered to in-eounty landlords, and a mail survey was used to poll out-of-eounty landlords. Results indicate that participation is generally low with very little difference between landlord groups. Renters make most of the organizational and operational decisions on rented farmland. Landlord participation is predominantly based on economic, rather than on social or environmental, factors. Furthermore, while economic variables are important predictors of participation for both groups, gender and social ties to the renter tend to increase local landlord involvement, but not absentee involvement. These results have important implications for both federal programs and further research on land tenure and environmental stewardship.
Adoption of soil conservation practices: a revealed preference approach
Working Papers, 2001
The existing empirical literature on farmers' use of soil-conserving, runoff-reducing farming practices, while sizable, contains relatively little information on the influence of cost on adoption decisions and on how farmers combine multiple practices into an overall conservation package. Such knowledge is important in light of current interest in reorienting agricultural policy toward environmental and resource conservation goals. This paper uses farmer survey data combined with information on standard unit costs of installing seven soil-conserving, runoff-reducing practices obtained from a state cost sharing program to estimate latent demand models for each of these seven practices. All seven exhibit downward sloping demand. Topographical variations in adoption conform to expectations as well. The estimation results suggest that cost sharing should have substantial effects on the adoption of four practices. They also indicate strong complementarity among four others. The results are then used to derive implications for the design and implementation of cost sharing programs, which have been the principal policy used to address nonpoint source water pollution problems emanating from agriculture. JEL Classifications: Q15, Q16, Q24 , Tegene, and Wiebe). Most are behavioral studies that examine the influence of factors such as farmer characteristics (human capital, attitudes toward risk, preferences for environmental quality), natural features of the farm that influence erodability (e.g., topography), and attributes of the farm operation (tenure status, farm size, off-farm labor). Most treat the use of soil conservation measures as a discrete all-or-nothing adoption decision of a single practice. Most have examined conservation tillage (, Tegene, and Wiebe). A number of more recent studies have examined nutrient management practices like manure crediting, legume crediting, soil testing, and split fertilizer application (Feather and Amacher; Weaver; Cooper and Keim; Cooper). A few attempt to investigate farmers' overall conservation effort using aggregate measures like total spending on soil conservation (Norris and Batie; Featherstone and Goodwin) or the number of conservation practices adopted (Lynne, Shonkwiler, and Rola; Soule, Tegene, and Wiebe).
Impact of non-farm work and land tenancy contracts on soil conservation measures
This paper examines the impacts of non-farm work and land tenancy arrangements on the intensity of investment in soil-improving measures and farm productivity. A multivariate tobit model that accounts for potential endogeneity between the intensity of investment and the non-farm work and tenancy arrangement variables is estimated for 341 rural households in Punjab province of Pakistan. Instrumental variable approach is also used to analyze the impact of tenancy arrangement and non-farm work on farm productivity. The empirical results show that participation in non-farm work and tenure security tend to increase the intensity of investment in long-term soil-improving measures, but decrease chemical fertilizer use intensity. We also find that increases in non-farm work and tenure security exert significant and positive effects on agricultural productivity. Investment in soil conservation measures is also found to significantly increase agricultural productivity.