Micro-level quantification of determinants of eco-innovation adoption: An assessment of sustainable practices for cotton production in Pakistan

Abstract

The sustainability challenges posed by conventional cotton production have led to the introduction of “better cotton”, which is an eco-innovation that encompasses production practices aimed at ensuring sustainability of environment and farming communities. However, the adoption of this eco-innovative sustainable alternative has been stagnant. Therefore, this research investigated the factors influencing the adoption of this eco-innovation based on a primary survey with 302 farmers in the major cotton belt of Pakistan. To ensure disaggregated analyses, these sustainable practices were divided into three stages: land preparation and sowing, production, and picking and post-harvest. The multivariate probit analysis was used to assess the determinants of the adoption of the set of practices, accounting for the concurrent adoption. The findings revealed that farmers’ participation in training programs on better cotton was a common factor for higher adoption of sustainable practices across all production stages, highlighting the need for training of non-adopters to improve this eco-innovation adoption. Information access and risk perception had positive effect while credit access had a negative effect on the adoption of sustainable practices. In conclusion, wider promotion of sustainable “better cotton” practices requires institutional support for organizing training programs, providing credit facilities, and delivering information of technologies.