Dh. Constance et al., LANDLORD INVOLVEMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING ON RENTED MISSOURI CROPLAND - PESTICIDE USE AND WATER-QUALITY ISSUES, Rural sociology, 61(4), 1996, pp. 577-605
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.