What drives management practice change
7.1 Adoption theory
Economic theory suggests that as rational economic agents , farmers implement conservation practices to the extent where the private benefits they receive from resource conservation are equal to the private costs they incur from doing so . According to that theory , farm properties are businesses and operators seek to make a return on the capital , financial and human resources they invest into a new enterprise , within budgetary and cash flow limitations . BMPs which do not yield an income would thus not appear to be part of a rational production or land-use mix on a property — beyond the extent to which it supports resource sustainability and production ( Sinden 2004 ). Where trade-offs exist between production and conservation , financial incentives are required as a motivator for landholders to adopt BMPs .
Adoption , of course , is more complex than this . A comprehensive review of the Australian adoption literature by Pannell et al ( 2006 ) showed that a landholder ’ s decision whether or not to adopt an innovation — such as a BMP — is principally influenced by
• the characteristics of the innovation , especially its relative advantage — financial and other — over existing practices ,
• the characteristics of the landholder and the business , and
• the landholder ’ s ability to trial the practice .
Essentially , landholders adopt an innovation if they expect that the practice will help them achieve their goals . This may include economic , social and environmental goals because landholders are known to have an encompassing set of values — including lifestyle and conservation values , and ideologies that shape their relationship to the land ( Bryant 1992 ). And , of course , goals change as family situations change and landholders get older ( Farmar- Bowers and Lane 2009 ).
There is a wide literature on the factors that influence adoption . Some studies try to explain adoption using socio-economic indicators which are commonly measured in farm statistics . Others use socio-psychological measures based on behavioural models of adoption . The Theory of Planned Behaviour ( TPB ) offers ( Ajzen 1991 , Ajzen 2005 ) offers such a model . An adaptation of the model for the implementation of BMPs is shown in Figure 27 .
Figure 27 . Adoption of BMPs seen through the Theory of Planned Behaviour .
Empirical research implementing this theory in a series of surveys with landholders across northern Australia , and in particularly the Burdekin catchment , has provided evidence that stated intentions and adoption decisions are principally influenced by landholder motivations , attitudes and perceptions ( Greiner 2015b , Greiner and Gregg 2011 , Greiner et al . 2009 ).
The following provides a brief overview tailored to the task at hand , commencing with broad-level studies and progressing to regionally more relevant studies .
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