The research confirmed the presence of a range of barriers to the adoption of BMPs and was able to statistically group them into six principal factors . 1 . ‘ Incompatibility and uncertainty ’: Items associated with perceived incompatibility of BMPs with the farm operation and a general uncertainty about the future . The item that loaded highest was ‘ recommended practices do not fit with what is best in my experience ’. Other items loading on this factor included uncertainty about various external factors and climate variability and drought .
2 . ‘ Lack of external support ’: Items suggesting a perceived lack of outside support for landholders , including from government , industry and community . The items that loaded highest were ‘ lack of industry support ’ and ‘ lack of support from industry organisations .
3 . ‘ Reduced profitability ’: Items reflected concerns about BMPs resulting in reduced profitability and productivity .
4 . ‘ Lack of fit with industry recommendations ’: Perception by respondents , their family and peers that BMPs were not necessary and not aligned with industry interests . The item that loaded highest was ‘ no recommended best practice industry standard ’. 5 . ‘ Lack of time and labour ’: Represents labour constraints , in terms of work priorities for the respondent as well as availability of hire labour . 6 . ‘ Investment cost ; ability to invest ’: Included items relating to investment cost and financial ability to invest in BMPs .
The survey also ascertained the importance of different sources of information for land management decisions ( Figure 29 ). While the data is 10 years old when regional NRM was in its infancy and the rating of individual items is likely to have changed , the key message is that the personal and experiential sphere provide the most important sources of knowledge and reference points for decision making . Among external sources , accountants and business advisors are more influential than other sources of information and advice .
Figure 29 . Extent to which sources of information influence farm management decisions . Source : Greiner et al . ( 2007 ); Distribution of responses ; Items sorted by mean value . 5-point Likert scale rating with 1 = ‘ not at all ’ and 5 = ‘ to very large extent ’
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