POSTER PRESENTATION: Small, Medium, and Large Farms Adapt in their Own Ways: Evidence from Three Water-related Climate Adaptation Practices

The heterogeneity among farms of different sizes has been overlooked in the climate change adaptation literature, yet it is crucial for identifying effective policy interventions. Using state-level, AgCensus data from 2012–2017—disaggregated by 12 farm-size groups—and other data sources, we examine differences in the adoption of three water-related climate adaptation practices (cover crops, tile drainage, and irrigation) and investigate whether adoption rates can be better understood and predicted from farm-size multilevel models as compared to pooled models, by applying a beta regression within a Bayesian framework. We find that small farms adopt cover crops mostly on the East and West Coasts, but large farms adopt considerably more compared to small farms on the East Coast. Farms of every size employ intensive tile drainage in the Midwest and Northeast; however, large farms implement this practice more extensively compared to small farms in these regions. Extensive irrigation zones for larger farms compared to small farms are located in Nebraska and the Mississippi Delta, and, to a lesser extent, Idaho, Georgia, and Texas. Multilevel models show more predictive power than pooled models, although certainty levels are low. Our findings suggest that predictor variables of adoption rates differ across farm sizes and practices, including the role of government programs, farm management, and even climate factors. For instance, while federal payments have generally negative associations with adaptation practices, although reasons differ across farm sizes, insurance use shows positive correlations. And, contrary to large farms, smaller farms’ adoption of capital-intensive practices is associated with climate changes rather than productivity-associated gains alone. We conclude that encouraging the adoption of water-related climate adaptation practices, especially among smaller farms, may require adjustments to current federal and state programs, as well as capital-intensive technologies to fully realize their implementation.