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The need to better understand landlord involvement in decision-making related to pesticide use and water quality issues is evidenced by several trends. These trends include the increasing documentation of water pollution by farm pesticides, the changing characteristics of farm ownership and operator tenure, and evolutions in resource policy and protection planning. This paper utilizes a theoretical approach to the sociology of land tenure to interpret results from an investigation of landlord involvement in environmental decision making regarding pesticide selection on rented land. Eight counties with high susceptibility of water contamination by pesticides were selected for study. Structured, in-person interviews were administered to in-county landlords, and a mail survey was used to poll out-of-county landlords. Results indicate that participation is generally low with very little difference between landlord groups. Renters make most of the organizational and operational decisions on rented farmland. Landlord participation is predominantly based on economic, rather than on social or environmental, factors. Furthermore, while economic variables are important predictors of participation for both groups, gender and social ties to the renter tend to increase local landlord involvement, but not absentee involvement. These results have important implications for both federal programs and further research on land tenure and environmental stewardship.

Two major obstacles to the accurate understanding of farmers' adoption of resource protection practices have been social scientists' reliance on a narrow set of research methodologies and on a narrow [...]

This article examines sociopolitical dimensions of ecosystem management through a case study of the Brush Creek EARTH Project, a watershed program in southcentral Missouri. Data were collected through person-to-person structured interviews during the summer of 1997. We investigate factors, particularly the role of trust and efficacy, related to landowner concern that participation in voluntary ecosystem management programs will lead to future regulations of their land use. Many landowners were concerned that participation in the Brush Creek EARTH Project would make them vulnerable to future regulations of their land use. Landowners who were more trusting of the agencies involved in ecosystem management were less likely to be concerned that participation would lead to future regulations. The implications of this study are that the sociopolitical dimensions need to be addressed in ecosystem management, and that specific attention needs to be given to developing trusting relationships with stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article studies impacts of the use of pesticides by farmers in Missouri. In 1988, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compiled the results of more than 150 pesticide contamination monitoring studies and found more than 50 pesticides in the ground waters across 26 states of the U.S. Although majority of the population is not at risk, rural residents in Midwest rowcrop regions such as Missouri are at especially high risk. Accordingly, EPA has mandated the development of a strategy to coordinate federal, state, and private sector activities in addressing this problem. The purpose of the article is to investigate the range of viewpoints among Missouri farmers regarding their support for reduced pesticide and, thereby, to inform policy decisions related to the adoption of pest management practices that reduce ground water contamination. Results of the study are provided in full detail along with their explanations.

Place of residence is one factor that may affect individual engagement and experiences in outdoor recreation. In this paper we assess four measures of place of residence and their associations with fears related to outdoor recreation. Data are from a statewide survey of Missouri households conducted in 2013 (n = 3,204). Logistic regression models are used to examine different measurements of place of residence and their relationship to the likelihood respondents reported environmental or social fears related to participation in outdoor recreation. The relationship between place of residence and reporting environmental fears was contingent on how place of residence was measured. In contrast, results related to social fears were more consistent such that residents of more urban and suburban settings were significantly more likely to report a social fear related to outdoor recreation activities regardless of how place of residence was operationalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]