PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Robert J. Sheeder AU - Gary D. Lynne TI - Empathy-Conditioned Conservation: “Walking in the Shoes of Others” as a Conservation Farmer AID - 10.3368/le.87.3.433 DP - 2011 Aug 01 TA - Land Economics PG - 433--452 VI - 87 IP - 3 4099 - http://le.uwpress.org/content/87/3/433.short 4100 - http://le.uwpress.org/content/87/3/433.full SO - Land Econ2011 Aug 01; 87 AB - Conservation tillage on farms can improve downstream water quality. Using a dual-interests theoretical framework guided by the metaeconomics approach, this paper examines the role of self-interest and shared other-interest in the conservation tillage adoption decision. The data is from a 2007 survey of farmers in the Blue River/Tuttle Creek watershed of Nebraska and Kansas. Logit models show that farmers who temper their pursuit of self-interest with shared other-interest reflecting empathy-sympathy are more likely to adopt conservation tillage. Habit and control also play a role. Farmers pursue a joint and interdependent own-interest and not only self-interest as presumed in microeconomics. (JEL Q25, Q28)