The Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Technologies

This text is concerned with the environmental impact of modern agricultural practices, agriculture's increasing reliance on non-renewable resources, and the long-term productivity of the adoption and diffusion of more sustainable technologies. For these interventions to be effective, they should be based on an understanding of what induces the producer to switch from conventional and alternative practices. This text provides a review on the determinants of adoption and diffusion of sustainable agricultural technologies, including concepts related to this theme. The Green Revolution in Brazil is examined as a means of establishing the background for an empirical investigation. Data about farms in the state of Espirito Santo are analyzed using duration analysis - an econometric technique which allows the assessment of the impact of time-varying, economic variables. Thus, adoption is explained as a dynamic process.