Dataset for: Dairy farmers’ willingness to adopt cleaner production practices for water conservation: A discrete choice experiment in Mejia, Ecuador
Description
Our main objetive is to estimate farmers' preferences over water conservation practices described in terms of water-efficient technologies, management of manure and solid waste, and training courses to resolve conflicts over water use, in Mejia, Ecuador. Mejia is our study case because it is an important milk-producing zone, and its adoption rate of conservation practices is low despite price incentives. A Face-to-face survey was implemented to collect information from 98 dairy farmers (i.e., 3.08% of Mejia’s dairy units) in November 2020. Given COVID-19 restrictions, we were constrained to increase our sample size, but it is similar to sizes used in previous studies. We used two filter questions to make sure that respondents were milk producers and made decisions about their farms. A specialized research company collected the data by visiting farmers in their farms. Experienced enumerators gathered carefully each section of our questionnaire. We employed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) based on a fractional factorial design with a D-efficiency of 1. Our design contained 12 choice sets divided into three blocks; each respondent answered one block of four choice sets. Each set included two plans and the status quo. Our dataset is in a long format, where rows show alternatives, profiles, or plans within a choice set faced by a sampled respondent. Our results indicate a farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) of US$147 per ha for a solid rain irrigation system; and US$212 per ha for training to resolve conflicts. Heterogeneity in WTP estimates are also present. In general, our data point out that wealthier dairy farmers are more willing to adopt water conservation practices. We conclude that first, cost-sharing scheme (given that the WTP for our preferred practices does not cover their implementation cost), and second, the participation of academic institutions, can assist in the adoption of the preferred practices.