Barriers to the adoption of organic agriculture An investigation using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Certified organic production by small-scale farmers in developing countries is increasingly promoted as an opportunity to access a growing and dynamic market while at the same time, enhance productivity and improve incomes. Nevertheless, adoption has been slow. The economics literature suggests profitability is the main constraint; however, the sustainable agriculture literature is inconclusive and considers attitudes of significant importance. As ecological behaviour is susceptible to a wide range of influences beyond an individual’s control, environmental attitude alone is often a poor predictor of behaviour (Kaiser et al., 1999). The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1985) is therefore promoted for studies in the ecological domain as in addition to attitudes, it incorporates the role of social pressures and the perceived difficulty in carrying out the behaviour. Using this framework, the psychological barriers to adoption of organic production are investigated using small-scale avocado producers from Michoacán, Mexico as a case study. The responses of 108 conventional farmers to an in depth household survey are analysed using established statistical procedures, the results of which are explored econometrically using ordered probit models. Despite positive attitudes towards organic production, intentions to convert are negative. This suggests that attitudes alone are not suffi cient to induce adoption and that while organic could be a long-term strategy, in the short term conversion is unlikely. More important to the formation of intentions are the perceived social pressures and perceived ease of conversion, both having positive and significant effects on intentions. Promotion of organic production will therefore require a focus on information asymmetries within the wider population, the development of technical skills and training of key actors in the avocado chain to organic methods. This should help alleviate negative social pressures toward organic production, but also assist in overcoming the uncertainty and lack of confidence present in producers’ abilities to successfully convert to organic production

Adopting Organic Agriculture: An Investigation Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Certified organic production by small-scale farmers in developing countries is increasingly promoted as an opportunity to access a growing and dynamic market, while at the same time, enhance productivity and improve incomes. Nevertheless, adoption has been limited. The economics literature suggests profitability is the main constraint, however, the sustainable agriculture literature is inconclusive and considers attitudes of significant importance. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study investigates the psychological barriers to adoption using small-scale avocado producers from Michoacan, Mexico as a case study. The data is obtained from a household study carried out during 2004 and is modelled using an ordered probit model. Despite positive attitudes towards organic production, intentions to convert are negative. Intentions are significantly influenced by social pressures (subjective norm) and the perceived ability to successfully convert to organic production. Promotion of organic production will therefore require a focus on information asymmetries within the wider population, development of technical skills, the alleviation of credit constraints and the creation of an enabling environment.organic agriculture, theory of planned behaviour, entry barriers, O13, Production Economics, Q12, D8,

Energy Disaggregation for SMEs using Recurrence Quantification Analysis

Energy disaggregation determines the energy consumption of individual appliances from the total demand signal, which is recorded using a single monitoring device. There are varied approaches to this problem, which are applied to different settings. Here, we focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and explore useful applications for energy disaggregation from the perspective of SMEs. More precisely, we use recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) of the aggregate and the individual device signals to create a two-dimensional map, which is an outlined region in a reduced information space that corresponds to ‘normal’ energy demand. Then, this map is used to monitor and control future energy consumption within the example business so to improve their energy efficiency practices. In particular, our proposed method is shown to detect when an appliance may be faulty and if an unexpected, additional device is in use

Adoption of Certified Organic Production: Evidence from Mexico

Adoption of organic production and subsequent entry into the organic market is examined using Mexican avocado producers as a case study. Probit analysis of a sample of 183 small-scale (<15ha) producers from Michoacán suggests that adoption is positively influenced by management and economic factors (e.g. production costs per hectare and making inputs), but also by social factors (e.g. membership of a producers’ association). Experience in agriculture has a significant but negative effect. Effective policy design must be therefore be aware of both the economic and social complexities surrounding adoption decisions

Bayes Estimates of Time to Organic Certification

The adoption of organic production has increased dramatically over recent years, especially in less developed countries. However, little information is available about who adopts, the difficulties they face in converting and how these factors vary over time. Using small-scale avocado producers (<15ha) from Michoacán, Mexico as a case study, this paper explores the factors affecting the time-to-adoption of organic production and certification, drawing from five parametric descriptions of the data. These models are implemented using a Bayesian approach and advances in Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. The results indicate that additional sources of income, together with membership of producers associations, higher levels of education and experience of export markets, other than the US, have a positive effect on the adoption decision. Labour requirements and administrative capacity appear to be unimportant, while information sources and the frequency of contact with these sources have a varied, but largely negative effect on the probability of adoption. These findings raise a number of questions about the future of organic production in Mexico and the avocado zone, not least how to overcome credit and information constraints, but more importantly whether aiming for the organic market is a viable production strategy for small-scale producers.Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management,

An innovation diffusion model of a local electricity network that is influenced by internal and external factors

Haynes et al. (1977) derived a nonlinear differential equation to determine the spread of innovations within a social network across space and time. This model depends upon the imitators and the innovators within the social system, where the imitators respond to internal influences, whilst the innovators react to external factors. Here, this differential equation is applied to simulate the uptake of a low-carbon technology (LCT) within a real local electricity network that is situated in the UK. This network comprises of many households that are assigned to certain feeders. Firstly, travelling wave solutions of Haynes’ model are used to predict adoption times as a function of the imitation and innovation influences. Then, the grid that represents the electricity network is created so that the finite element method (FEM) can be implemented. Next, innovation diffusion is modelled with Haynes’ equation and the FEM, where varying magnitudes of the internal and external pressures are imposed. Consequently, the impact of these model parameters is investigated. Moreover, LCT adoption trajectories at fixed feeder locations are calculated, which give a macroscopic understanding of the uptake behaviour at specific network sites. Lastly, the adoption of LCTs at a household level is examined, where microscopic and macroscopic approaches are combined

Electric vehicles and low-voltage grid: impact of uncontrolled demand side response

The authors are looking at the impact of electric vehicles (EV) charging from low-voltage (LV) networks. Based on the data obtained from two different pilot projects: (i) Mini-E trial where EV users were incentivised to charge during the night; (ii) My Electric Avenue trial, where there were no similar incentives, authors want to quantify the impact of EV charging, presuming that the number of home-charging EV users will increase significantly in the near future. By assuming that the current load at individual household level is known or inferred, simulations are performed to estimate the future load. The authors look at different percentages of EV uptake and model clustered scenarios, where the social networking effect is imposed – users adopt an EV with a higher probability if their neighbour already has one. Simulations demonstrate that incentivising night-time charging can create large new peaks during the night, which could have negative effects on LV networks. On the other hand, simulations based on the data with no incentives shows that naturally occurring diversity in charging behaviour does not automatically result in comparable network stress at the same penetrations

Motivations matter: Behavioural determinants of preferences for remote and unfamiliar environmental goods

Discrete choice experiments (DCE) are one of the main methods for the valuation of non-market environmental goods. However, concerns regarding the validity of choice responses obtained in such surveys remain, particularly in surveys dealing with environmental goods remote from and unfamiliar to respondents. This study assesses behavioural determinants of preferences for conservation benefits of a marine protected area on the Dogger Bank, a shallow sandbank in the southern North Sea in an attempt to assess construct validity of survey responses. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) are employed to empirically measure constructs that predict stated choices. The study finds that identified protest respondents score significantly lower on most TPB and NAM components than non-protesters. Results further show that components of both the TPB and the NAM robustly predict choice behaviour. The inclusion of the TPB components improves the predictive power of the estimation model more than the NAM components. In an additional latent class logit model, TPB and NAM components plausibly explain different patterns of WTP for conservation benefits of an offshore marine protected area. These findings support construct validity of stated choice data regarding the valuation of remote and unfamiliar environmental goods

Modelling Agricultural Systems: Applications to Livestock Breeding

Traditionally the evaluation of animal genetic traits has focused primarily on production traits and the construction of selection indices. Selection indices, however, fail to consider the effect of management practices and the environment on productivity. Non-production traits are either under-valued or not valued at all. Given the changing demands placed on agriculture and the increased understanding of the effects of agriculture on the environment, this approach can be considered myopic. While techniques are available to link economic and biophysical/environmental models, little has been applied in the context of genetic trait evaluation. This paper therefore explores the potential for integration and the development of methods that capture not only breeding objectives, but also non-production traits. Such an approach should provide greater understanding of the implications of breeding choices and reflect not only the interests of farmers, but of society as a whole.Animal genetic traits, economic weights, biophysical models, breeding objectives., Livestock Production/Industries,

Valuing conservation benefits of an offshore marine protected area

Increasing anthropogenic pressure in the offshore marine environment highlights the need for improved management and conservation of offshore ecosystems. This study scrutinises the applicability of a discrete choice experiment to value the expected benefits arising from the conservation of an offshore sandbank in UK waters. The valuation scenario refers to the UK part of the Dogger Bank, in the southern North Sea, and is based on real-world management options for fisheries, wind farms and marine protection currently under discussion for the site. It is assessed to what extent the general public perceive and value conservation benefits arising from an offshore marine protected area. The survey reveals support for marine conservation measures despite the general public's limited prior knowledge of current marine planning. Results further show significant values for an increase in species diversity, the protection of certain charismatic species and a restriction in the spread of invasive species across the site. Implications for policy and management with respect to commercial fishing, wind farm construction and nature conservation are discussed