Investigating the Varying Effect of Attitudes, Behavior and Socioeconomic Charactersitics on the Investment Behavior of Arable Crop and Tree Farmers

Abstract

The present paper examines the attitudes and investment behavior of arable crop farmers in a comparative
context with farmers that specialize in tree farming (fruit and nuts). The paper reveals that there exist
significant differences on the investment behavior of the two groups. It also shows that various attitudes such
as the pro-environmental stance, acceptance of EU identity and farming motive as well as farmers behavior
regarding research and information engagement have a different impact on the investment behavior of the
two groups as this is revealed by a series of correlation analyses. The results of the paper are expected to be
very useful for guiding policy makers in drawing effective policies for mobilizing the two groups of farmers
toward the improvement and modernization of their farms.