Identifying barriers and motivators for adoption of multifunctional perennial cropping systems by landowners in the Upper Sangamon River Watershed, Illinois

Authors: MATTIA, CHLOE - University Of Illinois; LOVELL, SARAH - University Of Illinois; Davis, Adam

Submitted to: Agroforestry Systems
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/26/2016
Publication Date: 12/26/2016
Citation: Mattia, C., Lovell, S.T., Davis, A.S. 2016. Identifying barriers and gateways for agroforestry adoption by landowners in the Upper Sangamon River Watershed, Illinois. Agroforestry Systems. doi: 10.1007/s10457-016-0053-6.

Interpretive Summary: Increasing cropping system diversity can help to improve the sustainability of food production systems. In grain producing regions, adding another annual field crop to the rotation is often challenging because production costs are so high that only the most profitable crops can be justified in the rotation. Alternate pathway for improving the long-term sustainability of agricultural practices, considering both farmer motivations and rural development needs, is to use marginal farmland for a transition to alternative perennial crops. In this study, we consider the potential for Multifunctional Perennial Cropping Systems (MPCS) that would simultaneously provide production and ecosystem service benefits. We examined incentives and barriers to adoption of MPCs on marginal farmland through a survey of landowners in the Upper Sangamon River Watershed (USRW) in Illinois, USA. A second objective was to identify potential adopters of MPCs and to explore their motivations and socio-demographic characteristics that would point to targeted implementation efforts in the future. Landowner age, appreciation for plant diversity, land tenancy preferences, and future farm management involvement were the strongest predictors of MPCs adoption in the USRW. Our analysis indicated that a farmer profile with high apotential for adopting MPCs would be a young, educated landowner with some marginal land holdings, and who has interest in planting perennial trees and shrubs that produce a fruit or nut crop.

Technical Abstract: The demand on agriculture to meet food security goals has led to intensification of management practices for annual grain crops (e.g. soybean and maize). One option for improving the long-term sustainability of agricultural practices, considering both farmer motivations and rural development needs, is to use marginal farmland for a transition to alternative perennial crops. In this study, we consider the potential for Multifunctional Perennial Cropping Systems (MPCS) that would simultaneously provide production and ecosystem service benefits. We examined incentives and barriers to adoption of MPCs on marginal farmland through a survey of landowners in the Upper Sangamon River Watershed (USRW) in Illinois, USA. A second objective was to identify potential adopters of MPCs and to explore their motivations and socio-demographic characteristics that would point to targeted implementation efforts in the future. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and discriminant analysis were conducted to identify critical factors affecting the adoption potential of alternative perennial cropping systems on marginal land. Landowner age, appreciation for plant diversity, land tenancy preferences, and future farm management involvement were the strongest predictors of MPCs adoption in the USRW. The farmer typologies identified within the survey data, along with the focus group discussions, suggested that a farmer profile with high adoption potential for adopting MPCs would be a young, educated landowner with known marginal land acreage, who has interest in planting perennial trees and shrubs that produce a fruit or nut crop.