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A decline in the legume cultivation has contributed to the biodiversity loss within the agricultural production across Europe. One possibility to include legumes into the production and promote sustainability is mixed cropping with legumes and non-legumes. However, the adoption of mixed cropping is challenging for farmers and information about the profitability is scarce. If mixed cropping should become a widely established production method, it is essential to gain an understanding of famers’ evaluation of the profitability mixed cropping needs to reach. Therefore, this article provides first empirical insights into farmers stated willingness to accept gross margin changes compared to current production possibilities. Based on a survey with results from 134 German non-adopters conducted in 2018 we can distinguish conventional farmers with a positive, neutral and negative willingness to accept reductions in gross margins as the trade-off for ecological benefits. Using an ordered logistic model we find that risk attitude, risk perception, the number of measures performed for ecological focus areas, the farmer’s age and being located in the south of Germany influence their willingness to accept gross margin changes compared to currently produced cereals.
Vanessa Bonke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. Will Farmers Accept Lower Gross Margins for the Sustainable Cultivation Method of Mixed Cropping? First Insights from Germany. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1631 .
AMA StyleVanessa Bonke, Marius Michels, Oliver Musshoff. Will Farmers Accept Lower Gross Margins for the Sustainable Cultivation Method of Mixed Cropping? First Insights from Germany. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):1631.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVanessa Bonke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. 2021. "Will Farmers Accept Lower Gross Margins for the Sustainable Cultivation Method of Mixed Cropping? First Insights from Germany." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 1631.
The diversification of cropping systems has the potential to contribute towards a sustainable land use while preserving biodiversity. Mixed cropping is one possibility to increase biodiversity within farming systems. However, adoption of mixed cropping systems is challenging for farmers, as the agricultural sector has evolved around pure stands over the past decades and path dependencies have emerged. Yet, little is known about farmers’ motivation to adopt mixed cropping. Utilizing the theory of planned behavior as the main framework, this paper studies the psychological factors underlying farmers’ intention to adopt mixed cropping based on an online survey with 172 German farmers. In addition, the most crucial adoption obstacles are assessed. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling, we show for the first time that attitude, perceived behavioral control, and injunctive as well as descriptive group norms explain over 52% of farmers’ intention to adopt mixed cropping. Our results also demonstrate that perceived ecological benefits positively influence a farmer’s attitude towards mixed cropping. Missing sales opportunities for mixed yields, the uneven maturing of crops, and deficient economic benefits are ranked as the most crucial obstacles for the implementation of mixed cropping. These results, which can be relevant for other European countries as well, indicate that the introduction of a voluntary agri-environmental scheme could encourage adoption and that considering positive effects of group norms within policy schemes could further increase adoption on a large scale.
Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. Understanding German farmer’s intention to adopt mixed cropping using the theory of planned behavior. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 2020, 40, 1 -14.
AMA StyleVanessa Bonke, Oliver Musshoff. Understanding German farmer’s intention to adopt mixed cropping using the theory of planned behavior. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 2020; 40 (6):1-14.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. 2020. "Understanding German farmer’s intention to adopt mixed cropping using the theory of planned behavior." Agronomy for Sustainable Development 40, no. 6: 1-14.
There is a steady increase in smartphone apps available to improve farmers’ decision making with respect to crop protection. While current studies have focused on smartphone adoption in general and farmers’ general willingness to pay for crop protection smartphone apps in particular, none have focused on the initial adoption decision. Furthermore, it has not been studied yet which app functions are perceived as useful and which are actually used by farmers. Based on an online survey conducted in 2019 with 207 German farmers, this study investigated latent factors affecting farmers’ adoption decision for crop protection smartphone apps based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework applying partial least squares equation modelling and a binary logit model. Descriptive results show that 95% of the surveyed farmers use a smartphone, but only 71% use a crop protection smartphone app. Apps providing information about weather, pest scouting and infestations forecasts are perceived as most useful by the majority of farmers. However, reported use fell short of reported usefulness. With respect to the model for the UTAUT, 73% of the variation in the behavioral intention to use a crop protection smartphone app is explained by the model. The results are of interest for policy makers in the field of digitization in agriculture as well as providers and developers of crop protection smartphone apps since the results could be used for further development of apps and policies regarding digitization.
Marius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in crop protection. Precision Agriculture 2020, 21, 1209 -1226.
AMA StyleMarius Michels, Vanessa Bonke, Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in crop protection. Precision Agriculture. 2020; 21 (6):1209-1226.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. 2020. "Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in crop protection." Precision Agriculture 21, no. 6: 1209-1226.
The number of decision support tools available to farmers, including dairy herd management smartphone apps, has been steadily increasing. The existing literature does not cover topics concerning the adoption and use of herd management smartphone apps or which specific functions of such apps are perceived as most useful by dairy farmers. It is unclear whether technology adoption can only be explained by economic reasoning, because the beliefs about a technology also play a role in decision-making. Therefore, this study seeks to determine whether an extended technology acceptance model can explain adoption and use of herd management smartphone apps. Results about the adoption and use of dairy herd management smartphone apps are derived from an online survey conducted in 2018 with 280 German dairy farmers. To model farmers' frequency of use of herd management smartphone apps, we applied partial least squares structural equation modeling and an ordered logit model. Our results show that 93% of the dairy farmers in our sample use a smartphone and 61% already use a herd management smartphone app. Daily use is reported by 38% of the adopters. Dairy farmers rated functions related to the observation of animal health, reproduction management, and data gathering as most useful, which should be in focus by developers and providers for future development. The key attitudinal components of the technology acceptance model, namely perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, both positively influence the intention to use such apps. This ultimately has a positive effect on the actual usage behavior. Besides other factors, dairy farmers' education and knowledge of herd management smartphone apps have a positive effect on perceived ease of use. Our model explains 33% of the variance in the actual usage behavior related to herd management smartphone apps. Because perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness positively influence the intention to use such apps and ultimately the actual usage behavior, developers and providers should highlight the benefits of using herd management smartphone apps and also keep the interface of the apps as simple as possible.
Marius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in dairy herd management. Journal of Dairy Science 2019, 102, 9422 -9434.
AMA StyleMarius Michels, Vanessa Bonke, Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in dairy herd management. Journal of Dairy Science. 2019; 102 (10):9422-9434.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. 2019. "Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in dairy herd management." Journal of Dairy Science 102, no. 10: 9422-9434.
By providing additional information and simulating results, decision support tools are one of the methods to enhance a farmer’s decision-making process in order to achieve more sustainable practices. With the latest developments in smartphone technology, new possibilities to integrate decision support tools into the daily work process have been emerging and smartphone apps related to crop protection have been developed. However, little is known about the utilization of smartphones by farmers in general, and specifically with regard to crop protection. In order to gather first insights into the factors that could affect the decision of farmers to integrate smartphones and crop protection-related apps in particular, into their work process, we conducted an online survey with 174 technologically experienced German farmers in 2017. We gained insights about the current use of smartphones from the surveyed German farmers, explored which topics farmers perceive as useful in the form of an app for crop protection, and which factors influence the willingness to pay for these apps. Our results show that 93% of the respondents use smartphones for agricultural purposes. Weather forecasts, tools to identify pests, diseases and weeds, as well as related forecasts are perceived as useful by the majority of respondents. Eighty-two percent of the respondents are generally willing to pay for crop protection apps. Using a probit model, we found that the farmer’s age, farm size, knowledge about specific crop protection apps, potential for cost reduction, and potential to reduce negative environmental effects have an influence on the general willingness to pay. Overall, this is the first study to explore factors influencing the willingness to pay for crop protection apps and assess which types of apps are perceived as useful by technologically experienced German farmers.
Vanessa Bonke; Wilm Fecke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. Willingness to pay for smartphone apps facilitating sustainable crop protection. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 2018, 38, 51 .
AMA StyleVanessa Bonke, Wilm Fecke, Marius Michels, Oliver Musshoff. Willingness to pay for smartphone apps facilitating sustainable crop protection. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 2018; 38 (5):51.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVanessa Bonke; Wilm Fecke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. 2018. "Willingness to pay for smartphone apps facilitating sustainable crop protection." Agronomy for Sustainable Development 38, no. 5: 51.