Perceived Profitability and Farmers‘ Conservation Behaviour

Attempts to reduce land degradation by influencing the management behaviour of farmers will be better informed when the relative importance of factors influencing the use of ‘conservation’ practices aimed at enhancing longer‐term land productivity can be quantified. Land managers' perceptions of the technical feasibility and profitability of such practices will play an important role in the decisions about their use. Of particular interest is the relative importance of an individual's perceptions of the profitability of conservation behaviours and the individual's conservation orientation. In a pretest‐post test study the influence of prior perceptions about two ‘conservation’ practices, and of environmental orientation, on the subsequent behaviour of farmers is investigated. A logistic regression model is developed to show the relative influence of perceptions of profitability and technical feasibility and of personal environmental concern on the choice of conservation practices. Perceived profitability was the most important factor influencing the use of conservation practices.