Farmers’ Preferences for Drip Irrigation and Soil Analysis: A Discrete Choice Experiment in Türkiye

Abstract

Over the past century, climate change has become one of the most pressing global issues. Due to its geographical location, Türkiye is one of the countries most affected by climate change. The agricultural sector, in particular, will be significantly impacted. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a sustainable agricultural production ecosystem characterized by low energy and water consumption and high productivity in the agricultural sector. However, when examining the agricultural system in Türkiye, it becomes evident that the opposite is true. The use of drip irrigation systems, which consume less water and significantly enhance plant productivity, is relatively low. Various grant and credit support projects are being implemented to promote the use of drip irrigation systems. While these projects have led to some increases in the adoption of drip irrigation systems, they do not provide advisory support, which researchers identify as the most critical missing component. A similar scenario exists for soil analysis, another factor that significantly contributes to agricultural productivity. Like the policies for drip irrigation systems, those for soil analysis are also not sufficiently compelling. Studies have shown that farmer behavior plays a crucial role in the widespread adoption of these practices. Therefore, this study investigates the international factors influencing farmers' adaptation behaviors to sustainable agricultural technologies, such as soil analysis and drip irrigation systems. Using these factors, attributes for a discrete choice experiment (drip irrigation system packages, potential yield increase, agricultural advisor, credit amount, interest rate, repayment start time, and loan maturity) were developed. The research findings, obtained using the mixed logit model, indicate that the interest rate is the most crucial attribute for farmers in all provinces. Additionally, the willingness to pay for each attribute was calculated. When examining the results of provincial-level analyses, it was observed that the signs and significance levels of the coefficients for all attributes, except the interest rate, differed. Therefore, it is evident that implementing some policies nationwide may not be appropriate, and it may be necessary to develop policies that vary at the provincial level to achieve success.