Purpose

This study examines the willingness of Spanish and Lithuanian grain farmers to adopt a combined approach of preventive site-specific spraying (PSSS) and selective harvesting (SH), two precision agricultural technologies (below referred to as PSSS-SH) aimed at mitigating the risk of mycotoxin contamination in barley and wheat.

Methods

Data were collected from 190 commercial grain farmers using a choice experimental survey. The empirical analysis relied on the estimation of mixed logit and integrated latent class models.

Results

The surveyed farmers were heterogeneous in their preference for the PSSS-SH technology, with a majority (81%) reporting that they were willing to adopt and pay for the PSSS-SH technology. Furthermore, the farmers’ willingness to adopt PSSS-SH technology was influenced by the trade-offs between the potential production, economic and environmental changes.

Conclusion

Profit maximization is not the only motivation for a farmer’s decision to adopt PSSS-SH, there are also important non-financial benefits that align with the observed choices. Furthermore, the perceived usefulness of the technology, the willingness and readiness to use the technology, and the farmer characteristics (e.g. cooperative membership, employment status, share of household income from grain production and past experience with precision farming technology) were positively associated with uptake of the PSSS-SH technology. Therefore, extension programmes should have a special focus on the perceived usefulness of the technology, the willingness and readiness of farmers to use it, and its unique characteristics.

中文翻译：

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农民愿意采用精准农业技术来减少谷物中的霉菌毒素污染：来自西班牙和立陶宛粮农的证据

 目的

本研究调查了西班牙和立陶宛粮农采用预防性定点喷洒（PSSS）和选择性收获（SH）相结合的方法的意愿，这两种精准农业技术（以下简称 PSSS-SH）旨在减轻风险大麦和小麦中的霉菌毒素污染。

 方法

通过选择实验调查从 190 名商业粮农收集了数据。实证分析依赖于混合 Logit 和集成潜在类模型的估计。

 结果

接受调查的农民对 PSSS-SH 技术的偏好存在差异，大多数 (81%) 表示他们愿意采用并支付 PSSS-SH 技术。此外，农民采用 PSSS-SH 技术的意愿受到潜在产量、经济和环境变化之间权衡的影响。

 结论

利润最大化并不是农民决定采用 PSSS-SH 的唯一动机，还有与观察到的选择相一致的重要非经济利益。此外，技术的实用性、使用技术的意愿和准备度以及农民特征（例如合作社成员资格、就业状况、粮食生产家庭收入的份额以及过去使用精准农业技术的经验）与采用技术呈正相关。 PSSS-SH 技术。因此，推广计划应特别关注该技术的实用性、农民使用该技术的意愿和准备情况以及其独特的特点。