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Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Practices among Farmers in Kentucky, USA

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Abstract

Promoting the sustainable agricultural practices at an individual farm level is essential to ensure agricultural sustainability. This study analyzed whether and how various factors related to farm or farmers’ characteristics influence the adoption intensity of sustainable agriculture practices. We used a negative binomial regression model to fit the data collected from a mail survey of farmers in Kentucky, USA. Our results showed that the adoption intensity of sustainable agriculture practices varied significantly among agricultural districts in Kentucky. Farmers who grew row crops, had irrigation facilities, and were in favor of crop diversification were significantly more likely than their respective counterparts to adopt more sustainable agriculture practices. Similarly, having a college education and participating in the Tobacco Buyout Program also positively and significantly affected the intensity of adopting sustainable agriculture practices among Kentucky farmers. In contrast, a lack of adequate knowledge about sustainable farming and an unfamiliarity with technology significantly and negatively related to less adoption of sustainable agriculture practices.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the editor and two reviewers for helpful comments. This research was funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), United States Department of Agriculture, Grant Number 2014-6800621865. Small Farm Diversification in Kentucky. Paudel’s time in this paper was supported by the USDA NIFA Hatch Project, Grant Number #94358 titled “Management and Policy Challenges in a Water Scarce World”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Bijesh Mishra

  2. College of Agriculture, Communities and the Environment, Kentucky State University (KSU), Frankfort, KY, USA

    Buddhi R. Gyawali, Marion F. Simon, Siddhartha Dasgupta & George Antonious

  3. Gilbert Durbin Endowed Professor at Louisiana State University (LSU) and LSU Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Krishna P. Paudel

  4. Associate Professor of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Institute of Agriculture, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Neelam C. Poudyal

Authors
  1. Bijesh Mishra
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  2. Buddhi R. Gyawali
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  3. Krishna P. Paudel
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  4. Neelam C. Poudyal
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  5. Marion F. Simon
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  6. Siddhartha Dasgupta
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  7. George Antonious
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Correspondence to Krishna P. Paudel.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Disclaimer

Summaries were derived using data collected in the Kentucky State University Economics Survey by the National Agriculture Statistics Service, United States Department of Agriculture (NASS). Any interpretations and conclusion derived from the data do not necessarily represent the views of the NASS.

Additional information

Mishra was a graduate student at Kentucky State University when this research was completed.

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Mishra, B., Gyawali, B.R., Paudel, K.P. et al. Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Practices among Farmers in Kentucky, USA. Environmental Management 62, 1060–1072 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-018-1109-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-018-1109-3

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