Farmers’ Preferences for Sustainable Crop Protection: An Integrated Choice and Latent Variable Approach

ABSTRACT This study analyzes farmers' preferences for sustainable crop protection, focusing on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices by incorporating social‐psychological factors to capture economic and behavioral dimensions. Using data from German and Polish potato farmers, we apply an integrated choice and latent variable framework that combines a discrete choice experiment with structural equation modeling. Results reveal substantial heterogeneity in preferences across and within countries. Polish farmers comprise economically driven segments prioritizing farm income and yield stability alongside an environmentally oriented group with high self‐efficacy. While German farmers predominantly emphasize economic outcomes, they significantly value advisory support and substantial pesticide residue reduction. Farmer preferences reflect an interaction between economic and environmental trade‐offs, perceived farmer capabilities, and social influence. Findings suggest that policy interventions should align environmental objectives with farmers' economic concerns and tailor advisory support to heterogeneous farmer preferences and behavioral orientations to accelerate holistic uptake of sustainable crop protection practices.