Factors Affecting Perceived Improvements in Environmental Quality from Precision Farming

This study identified the factors that influenced whether farmers in the Southeastern United States perceived an improvement in environmental quality from adopting precision farming technologies (PFTs). Farmers with larger farms or higher yields were more likely to believe that they observed positive externalities associated with PFTs. Farmers who found PFTs profitable or who believed input reduction was important had higher probabilities whereas those with higher incomes or who were more dependent on farm income were less likely to perceive such benefits. Interestingly, the importance of environmental quality and length of time using PFTs were not found to affect the probability of perceiving an improvement in environmental quality.