Premium
Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Diffusion, Farm Structure, and Profitability 1
Author(s) -
Saltiel John,
Bauder James W.,
Palakovich Sandy
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1549-0831.1994.tb00536.x
Subject(s) - profitability index , agriculture , business , agricultural economics , diffusion , agribusiness , sustainable agriculture , industrial organization , natural resource economics , marketing , economics , finance , geography , archaeology , physics , thermodynamics
This paper employs diffusion and farm‐structure variables to explain variations in Montana farmers' adoption of two kinds of sustainable agricultural practices: those involving intensive management and those which require fewer purchased inputs. While perceived profitability was found to be the most important factor affecting adoption of both, the independent variables had different effects on beliefs about net economic returns as well as on adoption of the two practices. Type of farm enterprise played a larger role in adoption of the low‐input practices than the management intensive ones; access to information was more important for the latter. Implications for policy are discussed.