Farmer Identity and risk preferences in Farmers' Choices Between Public and Private Agri-Environmental Contracts

Abstract European farmers' preferences for voluntary agri-environmental contracts are often heterogene-ous and can be influenced by behavioural factors. In our study, we investigate how farmer identity and risk preferences are related to preferences for agri-environment contracts in the UK, France, and the Netherlands. Using data from a discrete choice experiment and a sample of 767 farmers, we identify a statistically significant, but non-robust, effect showing that a stronger relative productivist farmer identity is associated with a higher preference for contracts organised by retail companies over those organised by governments. Furthermore, results show that a stronger relative productivist identity reduces the likelihood to participate in the proposed agri-environment contracts.