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Farmers’ views of the environment: the influence of competing attitude frames on landscape conservation efforts

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Abstract

Understanding factors that motivate farmers to perform conservation behaviors is seen as key to enhancing efforts to address agri-environmental challenges. This study uses survey data collected from 277 farmers in the La Moine River watershed in western Illinois to develop new measures of farmers’ environmental attitudes and examine their influence on current usage of agricultural best management practices (BMPs). The results suggest that a Dual Interest Theory approach reflecting two separate, competing psychological frames representing a stewardship view of the environment and a farm as a business (or profit maximization) view of the environment are present within the decision making domain. Using a cluster analysis technique to examine the interaction between these attitude frames reveals four groups of farmers who hold distinct views of the environment. Further exploration of these distinct belief systems reveals little evidence of differences in participation or willingness to participate in agricultural BMPs; however, we observe significant differences between these groups with regard to their willingness to support rural conservation planning priorities that address agri-environmental challenges. Further discussion focuses on the implications of these interactive dual interest typologies and the implications of these findings on efforts to engage farmers in conservation efforts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, 800 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI, 54481, USA

    Aaron W. Thompson

  2. W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Adam Reimer

  3. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller St., West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Linda S. Prokopy

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  1. Aaron W. Thompson
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  2. Adam Reimer
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  3. Linda S. Prokopy
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Correspondence to Aaron W. Thompson.

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Thompson, A.W., Reimer, A. & Prokopy, L.S. Farmers’ views of the environment: the influence of competing attitude frames on landscape conservation efforts. Agric Hum Values 32, 385–399 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-014-9555-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-014-9555-x

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