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Farmer Willingness to Implement Constructed Wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin

Soldo, Cole George
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619099393341398

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) remain a persistent, agriculturally-induced issue that threaten both the physical and economic health of the Western Lake Erie basin (WLEB) and its stakeholders. Edge-of-field conservation practices are recommended to help manage runoff and reach phosphorus reduction targets to mitigate the effects of these HABs. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are a specific edge-of-field practice that could prove critical to these efforts given much of this geographic area was formerly swampland and is now extensively drained for agricultural production. While we know something about why farmers engage in conservation, we know less about why wetlands are adopted than we do other edge-of-field (e.g., buffers) and in-field practices (e.g., cover crops). However, existing literature from studies outside of the U.S. gives us a framework for how to study why wetlands are or are not adopted by farmers. Hansson et al. (2012) conducted a qualitative interview analysis of Swedish landowners, measuring their motivations to implement a CW on their property. Hansson’s team identified six primary motivations of these landowners, with the crux being a two-stage decision where wetlands are never acceptable on productive land, but for unproductive land, farmers will consider a wider range of potential costs and benefits to decide if CWs are appropriate for their operation. Our research builds on these findings by transitioning the qualitative work to a quantitative survey instrument administered to private landowners in the WLEB. Our work seeks to discover if farmers in the WLEB are driven by the same motivations found in Hansson’s analysis, highlight the primary motivations of the likelihood of CW installation and see how productivity moderates the relationship between these motivations and willingness, and measure how conservation-mindedness affects willingness to implement. While we find certain similarities with Hansson’s work, we find that the decision to implement a CW is not entirely a two-stage decision dependent on productivity. Associated beneficial functions (i.e., aesthetics, hunting opportunities, diversification of income) are significant and positively influence CW implementation, even on productive land. Based on our findings, we suggest that program providers emphasize the tangential benefits of CWs when approaching farmers with proposals, contact farmers who exhibit conservation identities, and target larger farms with succession plans (as these types of farms and farmers may be more likely to consider wetlands, whether or not they value the co-benefits, and regardless of the productivity of their land).
Robyn Wilson (Advisor)
Eric Toman (Committee Member)
Alia Dietsch (Committee Member)
86 p.
Environmental Science; Environmental Studies
Harmful Algal Blooms, Western Lake Erie Basin, Constructed Wetlands, Best Management Practices, Conservation, Identity, Primary Motivations

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Soldo, C. G. (2021). Farmer Willingness to Implement Constructed Wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619099393341398

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Soldo, Cole. Farmer Willingness to Implement Constructed Wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin . 2021. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619099393341398.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Soldo, Cole. "Farmer Willingness to Implement Constructed Wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin ." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619099393341398

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1619099393341398
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.