Understanding the array of financial and non-financial decision-making drivers of private landowners with vulnerable cropland for enrolling in the United States Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is critical for the success and cost-effectiveness of agricultural policies that aim to create long-term agri-environmental security. Following the underpinnings of the Theory of Planned Behavior, we used Structural Equation Modeling to test the predictive validity and impacts of socio-cognitive variables: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, on landowners’ intent to enroll in CRP. We analyzed mailed survey data of landowners in the western High Plains of the United States, where irrigated agriculture is a major economic activity, and cropland consists of vulnerable wetlands that play a role in recharging the Ogallala Aquifer. Overall, landowners had a positive attitude towards the wetland conservation benefits of CRP enrollment and its benefits of preventing soil erosion and sedimentation. In addition, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior controls positively influenced landowners’ intentions to (re)enroll in CRP. Among the three predictors, subjective norms had the largest influence. Landowners’ understanding of CRP benefits in improving water quality and availability, and opinions from their neighbors and other landowners were the most significant measured variables affecting their intention to enroll. For enhanced outreach and long-term success, we suggest that policymakers recognize and respond to a range of non-financial motivations to better design programs that represent the conservation benefits of wetlands to leverage their willingness to participate. Furthermore, (re)enrollment acres could be enhanced by understanding local barriers related to landowners’ skills and knowledge and fostering collaboration and coordination among different federal conservation programs in the region.

中文翻译：

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了解土地所有者对美国高平原地区保护保护区计划的参与

了解拥有脆弱农田的私人土地所有者参加美国农业部保护储备计划 (CRP) 的一系列财务和非财务决策驱动因素，对于旨在创造机会的农业政策的成功和成本效益至关重要。农业环境长治久安。遵循计划行为理论的基础，我们使用结构方程模型来测试社会认知变量的预测有效性和影响：态度、主观规范和感知行为控制对土地所有者参加 CRP 的意图。我们分析了美国西部高平原土地所有者邮寄的调查数据，其中灌溉农业是主要经济活动，耕地由脆弱的湿地组成，在给奥加拉拉含水层补给方面发挥着作用。总体而言，土地所有者对 CRP 注册的湿地保护效益及其防止水土流失和沉积的效益持积极态度。此外，态度、主观规范和感知行为控制对土地所有者（重新）加入 CRP 的意图产生积极影响。在三个预测因素中，主观规范的影响最大。土地所有者对 CRP 在改善水质和可用性方面的好处的理解，以及邻居和其他土地所有者的意见是影响他们参加意愿的最重要的测量变量。为了加强推广和长期成功，我们建议政策制定者认识到并回应一系列非财务动机，以更好地设计代表湿地保护效益的计划，以利用他们的参与意愿。此外，通过了解与土地所有者技能和知识相关的当地障碍并促进该地区不同联邦保护计划之间的合作和协调，可以增加（重新）注册面积。