What factors influence choice of waste management practice? Evidence from rice straw management in the Philippines

Abstract

This study applied a multinomial logit model to understand why farmers choose to burn, incorporate or remove rice straw in the field. Four hundred randomly selected farmers were interviewed in four major rice-producing provinces covering the 2009 wet and 2010 dry seasons. Results of the model with burning as the baseline category indicate farm type, location dummies, number of household members with older than 13 years, cow ownership and distance from farm to house as significant variables influencing farmers’ choice of straw incorporation or removal over burning. Significant perception variables are the negative impacts of open-field burning, awareness of environmental regulations and attitude towards incentives. Other factors significantly influencing the decision to incorporate over-burn are training attendance and perceptions of effects of straw incorporation. Income from non-rice farming, total area cultivated, tenure status, presence of burning and solid waste management provincial ordinances are significant factors affecting choice to remove over burn. Continually providing farmers’ training in rice production, increasing demand for rice straw for other uses, and increasing awareness of environmental laws and regulations are policy directions recommended.