Small farmer’s planting confidence and willingness to pay for leguminous green fertilizer: environmental attributes perspective

Abstract

To evaluate whether small farmers are willing to accept the policy of sustainable use of cultivated land such as green manure planting, we analyze the payment preference and the source of heterogeneity of small farmer’s environmental attributes of leguminous green manure. A choice experiment method is conducted to learn about small farmer’s preference toward green manure. The results suggest that small farmers with planting confidence are willing to pay for different environmental attributes of leguminous green manure. Among them, the willingness to pay (WTP) for the quality and fertility of cultivated land is the highest, and the WTP for air quality is the lowest. Small farmers who do not have confidence in planting are only willing to pay for attribute of natural disaster days. We identify key factors that might influence small farmer’s payment preference, including gender, age, education level, degree of part-time employment, and the trend perception of environmental change.