Changing fertilizer management practices in sugarcane production: cane grower survey insights
Hasan, Syezlin, Smart, James C. R., Hay, Rachel, and Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn (2021) Changing fertilizer management practices in sugarcane production: cane grower survey insights. Land, 10 (2). 98.
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Abstract
Improved fertilizer management practice in sugarcane production is a key component in plans to improve Great Barrier Reef (GBR) water quality. Research focused on understanding wider systemic factors that drive behavioral change in agriculture is currently limited, with the domi-nant focus on individual farmer and psychosocial factors. Adopting a wider systems perspective, this study examines farming behavior change and the role of supporting services among 238 sugarcane growers (74,597 hectares) in Queensland’s Wet Tropics region who completed surveys reporting on changes in the method they used to calculate fertilizer application rates, along with information on their farm business, socio-demographics and self-reported importance ratings on a variety of topics. Informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior., ssurvey data are analyzed us-ing regression models to identify factors influencing the change from traditional to improved practice, and early adoption of improved practice. Results indicate growers were less likely to change fertilizer practice if they regarded maintaining good relationships with other local growers as being extremely important, had off-farm income, or had not attended a govern-ment-funded fertilizer management workshop in the five years preceding the survey. Similar drivers acted to promote or delay early adoption of improved practice. Results demonstrate the influence of government-funded services to support practice change.
| Item ID: | 65486 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2073-445X |
| Keywords: | behavior change; fertilizer application; theory; systems science; sugarcane; social norms; extension services; agronomy; management practices |
| Copyright Information: | Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. |
| Funders: | National Environment Science Programme |
| Projects and Grants: | National Environmental Science Program Project 2.1.3: Harnessing the science of social marketing and behavior change for improved water quality in the Great Barrier Reef: an action research project, National Environmental Science Program for Project 4.12: Measuring cost-effectiveness and identifying key barriers and enablers of lasting behavioral change in the cane industry |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Jan 2021 06:47 |
| FoR Codes: | 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410404 Environmental management @ 40% 30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3002 Agriculture, land and farm management > 300210 Sustainable agricultural development @ 50% 35 COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES > 3506 Marketing > 350604 Marketing communications @ 10% |
| SEO Codes: | 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9609 Land and Water Management > 960902 Coastal and Estuarine Land Management @ 45% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9609 Land and Water Management > 960903 Coastal and Estuarine Water Management @ 45% 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970116 Expanding Knowledge through Studies of Human Society @ 10% |
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