Erwin Wauters

An Investigation into the Socio-psychological Determinants of Farmers' Conservation Decisions: Method and Implications for Policy, Extension and Research

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this article is to present and apply a method to investigate farmers socio-psychological determinants of conservation practice adoption, as an aid in extension, policy and conservation practice design. Design/methodology/approach: We use a sequential mixed method, starting with qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 24), that serve as the basis for a quantitative survey (n = 138). The survey uses the expectancy value method to unravel the foundations of farmers socio-psychological determinants. Findings: Some of the main findings are that non-adopters exhibit rational behaviour, given their own point of view of potential consequences of conservation practice adoption. Further, the majority of farmers are mainly under social influence by parties that are generally not involved in conservation practice promotion. Practical implications: Extension approaches should be targeted towards a broader range of issues and should involve local governments and rural dwellers. The results also suggest the value of co-learning and co-development in a combined farmer-researcher approach to design conservation practices such that the potential negative impact is reduced. Originality/value: The study has empirically proven that non-adopters in fact behave rationally, given their expectation about the broad range of issues they consider when thinking about conservation practice adoption. Its value is the introduction to agriculture of an approach that has proven its usefulness in general environmental psychology.

The adoption of farm level soil conservation practices in developed countries: a meta-analytic review

Many researchers have been investigating factors that influence farmers adoption of soil conservation practices. This paper presents an exhaustive review of the empirical literature since 1980. It reviews and meta-analyses 69 empirical studies on the adoption of soil conservation practices. The main results prove disappointing for nation-wide policy arrangements, as there are almost no universal patterns to discover. In fact, variables that are since decades regarded as classic adoption of innovation variables actually converge to an insignificant influence. We list some of the methodological weaknesses of many past adoption studies, which may account for a significant proportion of insignificant results and inconsistency. We offer several suggestions for future adoption researchers and derive opportunities for policy makers.