Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Adoption of Agri-Environmental Beneficial Management Practices in Manitoba: Evidence from Living Lab – Eastern Prairies

This research paper examines the socio-economic drivers, barriers, and incentives affecting the adoption of agri-environmental beneficial management practices (BMPs) among farmers in Manitoba, drawing on a 2020 survey of 70 producers associated with the Living Lab – Eastern Prairies initiative.

• Certain socio-demographic and situational factors are associated with a higher likelihood of BMP adoption, specifically producers under 55 years old, those with post-secondary education, those operating farms larger than 1,200 acres, those receiving financial assistance, and those located within the Living Lab – Eastern Prairies watershed.
• The primary barriers to BMP adoption are economic, with high upfront costs identified as the most significant obstacle, followed by lack of financial assistance, high maintenance costs, lack of time, and uncertainty regarding economic benefits.
• The top incentives for farmers to adopt BMPs are improving soil health, increasing farm profitability, personal environmental stewardship, improving downstream water quality, and improving on-farm water-use efficiency.
• Farmers highly value peer-to-peer information; other producers and producer associations are the most trusted sources of information, and tours and field trips are the preferred format for receiving information about BMPs.
• Participation in the Living Lab initiative has generally improved farmers' relationships with other producers, non-farmers in their community, and government agencies, while increasing the likelihood that participants will adopt other BMPs in the future.

APA

Puzyreva, M., Zhao, J., Patel, B., Awono, C., & Gunn, G. (2022). Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Adoption of Agri-Environmental Beneficial Management Practices in Manitoba: Evidence from Living Lab – Eastern Prairies. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/living-labs-adoption-agri-environmental-practices-manitoba.pdf

Chicago

Puzyreva, Marina, Jun Zhao, Bijal Patel, Cyprien Awono, and Geoffrey Gunn. Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Adoption of Agri-Environmental Beneficial Management Practices in Manitoba: Evidence from Living Lab – Eastern Prairies. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/living-labs-adoption-agri-environmental-practices-manitoba.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Puzyreva |first1=Marina |last2=Zhao |first2=Jun |last3=Patel |first3=Bijal |last4=Awono |first4=Cyprien |last5=Gunn |first5=Geoffrey |title=Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Adoption of Agri-Environmental Beneficial Management Practices in Manitoba: Evidence from Living Lab – Eastern Prairies |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/living-labs-adoption-agri-environmental-practices-manitoba.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{puzyreva2022socioeconomic, author = {Puzyreva, Marina and Zhao, Jun and Patel, Bijal and Awono, Cyprien and Gunn, Geoffrey}, title = {{Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Adoption of Agri-Environmental Beneficial Management Practices in Manitoba: Evidence from Living Lab – Eastern Prairies}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/living-labs-adoption-agri-environmental-practices-manitoba.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }