Abstract
In Thailand, horticultural practices are a significant
source of non-point source (NPS) pollution, and the
government is considering bestmanagement practices
(BMPs) as control measures for reducing agricultural
NPS pollution to water. A prevailing assumption that
farmers’ reactions to regulations will be homogenous
is not based on underlying insights into attitudinal
positions that may explain alternative behavioural
responses. This paper uses Q-methodology to identify
attitudinal discourses relating to BMP uptake. The
approach combines the strengths of qualitative and
quantitative research in order to explore subjectivity.
The study is conducted with citrus growers in
the Ping river basin, where farmers are facing
increasing competition from alternative water uses.
Four ‘discourses’ or viewpoints are identified, namely
conservationist, traditionalist, disinterested and riskaverse.
The different attitudes of these four groups
are likely to be associated with distinctive behavioural
reactions to the adoption of alternative policy
instruments for pollution control. These discourses
could usefully inform targeted policies for the control
of NPS pollution from agriculture.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 225 - 234 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Environmental Conservation |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 3 |
Publication status | First published - 2010 |
Keywords
- Agricultural non-point source pollution
- Q-methodology
- Water quality