Adopción y difusión de prácticas de no laboreo en el olivar de la provincia de Granada

Abstract

This paper analyses the process of adoption of no-tillage in the olive groves of the Southern Spanish province of Granada. The data used comes from a survey carried out in 2005-2006 to 215 olive farmers. We first analyse the diffusion process of no-tillage practices over time by estimating several diffusion models. Then we identify some factors that determine their adoption by estimating two binomial probit models. Our results show that no-tillage is practiced by 90% of surveyed farmers. The diffusion process of no-tillage practices has been intense since the middle nineties, and has been based on the interactions among farmers in the area of study rather than influenced by other external factors. Some relevant factors that influence the adoption of no-tillage practices are irrigation, the continuity of the farming activity by some relative or farmer’s perception of the soil erosion problem.