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Use of No-Till Practices As a Gateway to Carbon Credit Adoption

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Use of No-Till Practices As a Gateway to Carbon Credit Adoption USE OF NO-TILL PRACTICES AS A GATEWAY TO CARBON CREDIT ADOPTION Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Melanie Joy Miller, B.S., M.S. Graduate Program in Rural Sociology The Ohio State University 2009 Dissertation Committee: Dr. David Hansen, Advisor Dr. William Flinn Dr. Rattan Lal Dr. Randall Reeder Copyright by Melanie Miller 2009 ABSTRACT Climate change is a worldwide environmental problem that will affect every citizen of the planet. Societies can respond to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the rate and the magnitude of effects caused by climate change. Agriculture is a major contributor to the problem of climate change, but also has the capacity to be a part of the solution. No-till practices are considered dual purpose in that it has potential as a climate change mitigation strategy as well as an adaptation strategy. Economists have proposed using a market system to aid in the mitigation of climate change because it creates financial incentives to innovate and conserve. Carbon markets have presented farmers with the opportunity to be paid for practices that decrease emissions and sequester carbon, such as no-till farming. No-till farming practices have been in use in the United States for decades by some farmers in order to reduce soil erosion. However, many farmers continue to use traditional tillage methods that release carbon into the atmosphere. In order to exploit the carbon sink capacity of agricultural soils and adapt to the effects of climate change, more farmers need to utilize carbon sequestering practices such as continuous no-till farming. Most research on the introduction of new practices focuses on the initial adoption decision, with little research focusing on the continued use of the practices. The present ii study focuses on the adoption of no-till practices and carbon credits, and considers continuous no-till farming as a gateway to the adoption of carbon credits. A survey of 228 farmers at the Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference in Ada, Ohio, provided data used in this study. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents practice continuous no-till on some or all of their land, which indicates eligibility for carbon credits. Yet only four survey respondents currently participate in carbon credit programs. Results indicate that the majority, 88 percent, of no-till farmers surveyed are aware of carbon credit programs, which signals that lack of awareness of the program is not the main reason for non-participation. Findings indicate that there is a substantial relationship between the use of no-till practices and satisfaction with them. Additionally, there is a relationship between the use of no-till practices and participation in other resource conservation programs. The study also finds that belief in anthropogenic climate change is strongly associated with liberal political beliefs, yet neither belief is associated with the use of continuous no-till practices. Additional findings suggest that older farmers tend to be more likely to adopt no-till practices and use of no-till practices is associated with smaller farm operations. The importance attributed to human practices as a cause for climate change, degree of familiarity with carbon-related topics, education, and dedication to farm activities were not found to be statistically related to the use of no-till practices. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Successful completion of my doctoral program in rural sociology would not have been possible without all the contributions of support and encouragement which I received from many individuals throughout my education and career. I want to thank my adviser, Dr. David Hansen for all of his support throughout my graduate program. In addition, I wish to thank my committee members Dr. William Flinn, Dr. Rattan Lal and Dr. Randall Reeder for their support. Innumerable appreciation is owed to Daniel Foster, who demonstrated patience, understanding and encouragement throughout the writing of this dissertation. Thanks to my family and friends in supporting me throughout all my endeavors. Special thanks to Matthew Mariola and Ryan Foor who lent fresh perspective at the times it was needed most. Thank you to Uncle Tim, whose stubborn refusal of carbon credits for his conservation practices inspired this dissertation. I would like to express my gratitude to my funding sources: the National Science Foundation and The Ohio State University Graduate School. Without their financial support this project would not have been possible. iv VITA January 9, 1980 .........................................................Born Rugby, North Dakota December, 2002 .......................................................B.S in Agriculture from North Dakota State University 2005............................................................................Research Assistant, Costa Rica 2005 – 2007 ...............................................................Research Associate, The Ohio State University 2007 – 2008................................................................Teaching Assistant, The Ohio State University 2008 – 2009................................................................National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellow PUBLICATIONS Miller, Melanie, Matthew J. Mariola and David O. Hansen. 2008. EARTH to farmers: Extension and the diffusion of environmental technologies in the humid tropics of Costa Rica. Ecological Engineering 34(4): 349-357. Miller, Melanie and Mathew J. Mariola. Forthcoming. The Discontinuance of Environmental Technologies in the Humid Tropics of Costa Rica: Results from a Qualitative Survey. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education 15(3): 31-42. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Rural Sociology Fields of Specialization: 1. Sociology of Agriculture 2. Sociology of Environmental 3. Development Sociology v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv VITA................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 Climate Change and Agriculture ........................................................................................ 2 Carbon Credits .................................................................................................................... 4 Statement and Significance of Problem.............................................................................. 5 Organization of Study......................................................................................................... 6 Summary............................................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2: THE INNOVATIONS................................................................................. 8 Conservation Tillage........................................................................................................... 8 Conventional Tillage..................................................................................................... 10 History of Conservation Tillage.................................................................................... 12 Benefits of No-Till........................................................................................................ 13 Use of Conservation Tillage and Conventional Tillage................................................ 15 Market-Based Conservation Programs and Carbon Credits ............................................. 16 Capitalism and the environment ................................................................................... 17 The market approach..................................................................................................... 20 Opposition to environmental service markets............................................................... 21 Agriculture’s involvement in environmental service markets...................................... 22 vi CHAPTER 3: REVIEW OF LITERATURE.................................................................... 24 Theoretical Foundation ..................................................................................................... 24 Neoclassical Economic Theory..................................................................................... 24 Diffusion of Innovations............................................................................................... 25 Bourdieu’s Theory of Capital ....................................................................................... 26 Forms of Cultural Capital ............................................................................................. 28 Related Empirical Literature............................................................................................. 30 Economic Factors.........................................................................................................
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