PR - Differences In Attitude Of Horticultural Entrepreneurs Towards The Introduction Of Reduction Techniques For Pesticides And Nutrients

In order to meet the growing concerns of society horticultural growers have to adopt reduction techniques for pesticides and nutrients. Based on a theoretical framework the adoption of these techniques is influenced by personal and business characteristics and communication behaviour. Data were collected at 248 professional horticultural holdings, resulting in fifteen explanatory variables and one dependent variable representing the environmental score, calculated on the basis of the number of the applied reduction techniques. By means of a categorical principal component analysis the 15 explanatory variables were reduced to 5 independent dimensions. Regression analysis resulted in a significant influence of the dimension ‘attitude towards openness and large business size’ on the environmental score. The same result was obtained for a regression analysis for the sub sector vegetables. For the sub sector ornamental plants the dimension ‘attitude towards risk and environmental sound production’ was significant. For fruit production no relations were found.