Shifts in farmer uncertainty over time about sustainable farming practices and modern farming's reliance on commercial fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) is critical for maintaining crop yields; however, current agricultural management practices are major contributors to high levels of N and other agricultural chemicals leaking into neighboring water bodies thereby limiting the achievement of sustainability goals for water resources. Changes in farmer beliefs over time about sustainability goals and production inputs reveal increasing uncertainty about the connection between sustainability and their practices. Inference from a multinomial model analysis of farmer beliefs from 1989 to 2002 shows increasing odds of being uncertain about whether use of sustainable farming practices help maintain the natural resource base. Almost 29% of the population of a 2002 random sample survey of Iowa farmers was uncertain about sustainable farming practices compared to 18.8% in 1989. Further, farmers were increasingly uncertain over time as to whether modern farming relies too heavily upon commercial fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. In 2002, 14.5% of farmers, compared to 8.4% in 1994 and 5.7% in 1989, were uncertain about whether heavy reliance on commercial fertilizers was a sustainability problem. Multinomial logistic regression models examining responses to various farming practices reveal that the ratio of disagree/agree increases over time and is influenced by total corn and soybean acres farmed, net of farmer age, and weather conditions. Models of uncertainty controlling for age and weather conditions show increasing farmer uncertainty about sustainable farming practices; natural resource base maintenance; and whether modern farming relies too heavily on commercial fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides.

Crops, climate, culture, and change

“…Rate your level of agreement or disagreement: Strongly disagree (1); somewhat disagree (2); uncertain (3); somewhat agree (4); strongly agree (5)." Farmer change in beliefs about insecticides and herbicides show a similar pattern toward increased uncertainty from 1989 (5.3%) to 2012 (23.7%) (Morton et al 2013;Arbuckle et al 2012 data unpublished). using future climate patterns projected by 20 general circulation models (GCM).…”

“…This shortcoming is reflected in longitudinal random sample survey data from 1989 to 2012 of Iowa farmers that reveals an increasing uncertainty over time about the relationship of sustainability to their farming practices (figure 2). The question is framed as "public concern about the safety of some modern agricultural practices," whether "increased use of sustainable farming practices help maintain our natural resources," and whether "modern farming relies too heavily upon commercial fertilizers" (Morton et al 2013). In 1989, 69% of farmers agreed/strongly agreed sustainable practices help maintain our natural resources; 12% disagreed/strongly disagreed, and 19% were uncertain.…”

Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources in the U.S. Midwest: A Review and Analysis of Challenges and Future Opportunities

“…Fertilizer, pesticide, and transgenic crops have become more central and the primary means of managing pests and fertility as opposed to longer crop rotations with legumes and the use of manure. Fertilizer, pesticide, and transgenic crops are simply viewed as less of a problem in the minds of farmers (Arbuckle and Rosman, 2014;Morton et al, 2013). We can also further speculate that a decline in extension presence has had something to do with these changes.…”

Adoption potential of nitrate mitigation practices: an ecosystem services approach

“…In a quasi-paired watershed study, Napier and Bridges (2002) found that the watershed which received more conservation programming did not have an increased rate of conservation-related practice adoption leading them to conclude that these outreach efforts were not the best use of resources. There is also recent evidence showing some farmers have increased uncertainty that sustainable farming practices are necessary to protect natural resources (Morton et al 2013). While environmental awareness has been tied to farmers' conservation behaviour (e.g.…”