Are Friendly Farmers Environmentally Friendly? Effect of Community Involvement on Environmental Awareness

We study if community involvement makes an individual more environmentally friendly. An individual with greater attachment to the community is likely to be more socially responsible. They are also more likely to have better exposure and access to information about the importance of the environment and environmentally friendly practices. Using associational memberships as a measure of community involvement we study its effects on agricultural practices among Georgia farmers. Our findings showed that, first, community involvement had a positive effect on the decision to adopt environmentally friendly agricultural practices, and, secondly, it also had a positive effect on the extent to which farmers adopt these practices. These findings establish an additional dimension to the benefits that would accrue to policies that promote social interaction and civic engagement in rural areas associated with farming.