Wilkens, Philadelphia2019-06-212019-06-212019-06-20vt_gsexam:20397http://hdl.handle.net/10919/90392Silvopasture is a land-use management practice which intentionally integrates trees, forage, and livestock. It is increasingly prevalent in outreach and extension, yet considerations for adoption are complex. The implementation of a cost-share initiative for silvopasture created by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Virginia in 2011 provides an opportunity for landowners to establish silvopasture systems on their properties, thus diversifying land management and income, as well as providing environmental benefits. However, research on who might adopt silvopasture and why is needed. For this research, a mail survey was distributed to 307 cost-share enrollees in NRCS' livestock limitation initiatives and 139 were returned (45.3%). The first objective of this survey was to gauge interest in two forms of silvopasture implementation: a) thinning a woodlot and b) planting trees in a pasture. Furthermore, the study was utilized to test which hypothetical benefits might increase a livestock producers' interest in either implementation form. Results show that respondents preferred thinning to planting but risk and uncertainty were perceived in both. Environmental outputs and assistance from technicians increased interest in both practices over economic benefits; however, livestock performance was most important. Literature on the topic aligns with findings and highlights that more research is needed to understand risk, environmental, and resource-related factors. The second objective was to measure interest in silvopasture and classify respondents based on their operational or their beliefs-based characteristics and assess which classification set mattered more. Results indicated that interest in silvopasture varied but the majority (60%) indicated they were either interested or very interested. Two-step cluster analysis was used to classify respondents based on their operational considerations and a combination of Exploratory Factor Analysis and K-means clustering was used to group livestock producers according to their beliefs on traditional and land-use values. A Kruskal-Wallis independent samples analysis for each classification revealed no statistically significant differences in the interest in silvopasture between operational groupings. Conversely, there were statistically significant differences in silvopasture interest according to beliefs-based classifications. These results suggest that operations of livestock producers do not matter as much as their attitudes and beliefs related to the practice. A cross-tabulation of the operational classification and beliefs cluster resulted in no correlation. Literature suggest both operational characteristics and producer beliefs may matter in agroforestry adoption, but that positive or negative correlation in terms of interest may vary.ETDIn CopyrightAgroforestrySilvopastureLivestock ProducerAdoptionThesis