Adoption of riparian buffer technology in a voluntary climate: An analysis of Maryland farmers' socioeconomic characteristics

Riparian buffers have received a significant amount of attention within the Chesapeake Bay watershed to improve water quality. Riparian buffers help control the stream environment, control sediment and sediment-borne pollutants, control nitrates in shallow groundwater, and help control dissolved phosphorous.; Voluntary programs were established in Maryland to encourage landowners to install riparian buffers. Understanding what motivates landowners to install buffers and their socioeconomic characteristics are key to a successful voluntary program.; This study provides an analysis of Maryland farmers' installation of riparian buffers. A probit model was used to analyze data collected from a telephone survey, performed June 2000, of 411 Maryland farm landowners. The analysis revealed that two land characteristics; acres and location on the Lower Eastern Shore; and four owner characteristics; age, making production decisions on the farm themselves, participation in government conservation programs and hearing about riparian buffers, are significant determinants for predicting the adoption of riparian buffer technology. All of these characteristics have a positive relationship with riparian buffer adoption.