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

Miller, Melanie J.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250084206

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Rural Sociology.
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 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.
David Hansen (Advisor)
Rattan Lal (Committee Member)
William Flinn (Committee Member)
Randall Reeder (Committee Member)
140 p.
Agriculture
diffusion; carbon credits; no-till

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Miller, M. J. (2009). Use of No-Till Practices as a Gateway to Carbon Credit Adoption [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250084206

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Miller, Melanie. Use of No-Till Practices as a Gateway to Carbon Credit Adoption. 2009. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250084206.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Miller, Melanie. "Use of No-Till Practices as a Gateway to Carbon Credit Adoption." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250084206

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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