LANDLORD INVOLVEMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING ON RENTED MISSOURI CROPLAND - PESTICIDE USE AND WATER-QUALITY ISSUES

The need to better understand landlord involvement in decision-making related to pesticide use and water quality issues is evidenced by seve ral trends. These trends include the increasing documentation of water pollution by farm pesticides, the changing characteristics of farm ow nership and operator tenure, and evolutions in resource policy and pro tection planning. This paper utilizes a theoretical approach to the so ciology of land tenure to interpret results from an investigation of l andlord involvement in environmental decision making regarding pestici de selection on rented land. Eight counties with high susceptibility o f water contamination by pesticides were selected for study. Structure d, in-person interviews were administered to in-county landlords, and a mail survey was used to poll out-of-county landlords. Results indica te that participation is generally low with very little difference bet ween landlord groups. Renters make most of the organizational and oper ational decisions on rented farmland. Landlord participation is predom inantly based on economic, rather than on social or environmental, fac tors. Furthermore, while economic variables are important predictors o f participation for both groups, gender and social ties to the renter tend to increase local landlord involvement, but not absentee involvem ent. These results have important implications for both federal progra ms and further research on land tenure and environmental stewardship.