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Abstract This paper examines the motivations of participants in a large-scale pilot project that aims at developing a new agri-environmental measure, gypsum treatment of arable fields, to reduce phosphorus loading in the Baltic Sea. We build a general model of crop production that allows for three motivations: profit maximization, utility from agricultural innovation and stewardship towards the environment by employing farmer survey and confirmatory factor analysis. Strong environmental motivation is associated with small farm size, adoption of environmentally friendly cultivation technologies, and part-time farming. Strong profit motivation is associated with large gypsum-treated areas, perceived ease of gypsum application as a water protection measure, and agricultural education, which associates also with strong innovation motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving farmers' knowledge of fertilizer use through agricultural training has been considered a prerequisite to scientific fertilizer management. However, empirical evidence of the effect of agricultural training on farmers' fertilizer management knowledge is inconclusive. Based on a randomized controlled experiment involving 687 farmers that mitigates selection bias in the data, this paper identifies the treatment effect of agricultural training on farmers' fertilizer management knowledge in Chinese rice production. Results indicate that the fertilizer management knowledge of field-guidance farmers improved by almost 40%. However, such knowledge acquisition did not occur for curriculum-trained farmers. We also find that there is no evidence of knowledge diffusion from trained farmers to exposed farmers in the same village. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrimp aquaculture is among the most vital sectors in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam regarding economic well-being, social aspects, and food security beyond the country boundary. Nevertheless, this sector has faced emerging challenges from increased climate variability during recent decades, negatively influencing its outcomes. This paper utilized farm-level data surveyed in 2019 to investigate the mechanisms behind households' decisions to adopt three primary climate change adaptation practices: upgrading pond dikes, lining ponds with plastic sheets, and having settling ponds. This study demonstrates the effects of adopting these strategies on shrimp farming performance. An endogenous switching regression model was employed to deal with potential selection bias and heterogeneity in the decision to adopt or not. We find that the adoption of upgrading pond dikes and having a settling pond result in higher productivity in shrimp farming, and both adopters and non-adopters of these strategies would benefit from the adaptation. As well, education of the farm operators and farmers' belief on changes in climatic conditions and their impacts on shrimp farming are the main drivers behind the adoption behavior. This study, therefore, provides empirical evidence for policymakers to promote specific climate change adaptation strategies that would improve the welfare of shrimp farmers. • Shrimp farmers' decision-making in climate change adaptation in the Mekong delta. • Education and climate belief are crucial factors of the adoption process. • Sizable effects on output stem from different primary adaptation practices. • Adaptation practices would benefit both adopters and non-adopters. • Adoption of the adaptation strategies positively links to shrimp productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]