Abstract
The expansion of crop agriculture onto low productivity cattle pastures in the agricultural frontier of Brazil is a form of agricultural intensification that can help to contribute to global food and climate goals. However, the amount of pasture to crop conversion in the region lags both agronomic and economic potential. We administered a survey in combination with a lab-in-the-field experiment to 559 farmers in Mato Grosso, Brazil. We used the results to explore behavioral determinants of pasture to crop conversion. We compared farmers choices across two rounds of a risk game meant to mimic the economic risk of decisions to convert pasture to crops. We found framing the risk game to concern agriculture profoundly altered subjects’ experimental choices. These discrepancies involved the majority of experimental subjects, and were highly heterogenous in nature. They were also somewhat predictive of subjects’ behavior converting pasture to cropland. Our findings indicate that farmers may make economic decisions involving agriculture and/or agricultural land differently from other economic decisions. Our finding is of relevance for research into the propensity of farmers to intensify and for policies seeking to influence rates of agricultural intensification.
Highlights
In Brazil, as in many emerging economies and less developed countries, agricultural systems are critical for economic growth and development, major drivers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and a major focus for GHG emissions abatement [1]
We think the discrepancy may stem in part from the highly economically heterogeneous nature of farming in the Brazilian agricultural frontier
This paper uses lab in the field experiments to examine whether the behavior of large farmers from the state of Mato Grosso can be predicted using the results of framed and/or unframed choice experiments
Summary
In Brazil, as in many emerging economies and less developed countries, agricultural systems are critical for economic growth and development, major drivers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and a major focus for GHG emissions abatement [1]. Under Brazil’s climate commitments and policies, land sparing via intensification of agricultural systems and protection of the Amazon forest loom large [10,11]. Of this land sparing, the intensification of pasturelands, including the conversion of pasture to cropland, is a critical part of the pledge [12]. The intensification of pasturelands, including the conversion of pasture to cropland, is a critical part of the pledge [12] This process is not strictly an end of its own but often an intermediate step to the adoption of other
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