Determinants of Romanian Farmers' Participation in Agri-Environmental Programmes

The paper aims to identify the factors underlying farmers' propensity to participate in agri-environmental programmes in a Romanian rural region that confronts non-point source pollution. For this, we employ structural equation modelling with latent variables using data collected through an agri-environmental farm survey in 2001. The model includes one 'behavioural intention' latent variable ('propensity to participate in agri-environmental programmes') and five 'attitude' and 'socioeconomic' latent variables ('demo-social characteristics', 'economic characteristics', 'agri-environmental information access', 'environmental risk perception' and 'general environmental concern'). The results indicate 'environmental risk perception' as the strongest determinant of farmers' propensity to participate in agri-environmental programmes.