Landowner Satisfaction with Conservation Programs in the Southern United States

Ram K. Adhikari, Robert K. Grala, Stephen C. Grado, Donald L. Grebner and Daniel Petrolia
Additional contact information
Ram K. Adhikari: Department of Forestry, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 9681, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
Robert K. Grala: Department of Forestry, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 9681, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
Stephen C. Grado: Department of Forestry, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 9681, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
Donald L. Grebner: Department of Forestry, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box 9681, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: Landowner satisfaction with conservation programs affects their participation decisions and subsequently effectiveness of these programs in improving environmental quality. This study determined the influence of landownership goals, environmental concerns, frequency of contacts with federal agencies, and socioeconomic factors on landowner satisfaction with available conservation programs in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and East Gulf Coastal Plain sub-geographies of the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative. A generalized ordered logit model for each conservation program was constructed to analyze factors influencing landowner satisfaction levels with these programs. Of the 14 federal conservation programs assessed, the top programs, based on a satisfaction level, included Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). The size of agricultural land owned, landownership goals including profit-making and personal recreation, concerns about wildlife habitat losses, and frequent contacts with federal agencies were positively related to landowner satisfaction levels. Better strategies addressing landowner’s environmental concerns, communicating technical knowledge, clarifying contract terms, and supporting financial resource leveraging will help reach the enrolled and non-enrolled landowners to increase their participation in conservation efforts.

Keywords: environmental concern; federal agency; generalized ordered logit model; landownership goal; private land conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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