Would you buy bittern-friendly rice? We’re delighted to see this new paper published in Conservation Science and Practice this weekend.
It’s all about how consumers would value bittern-friendly rice products and that wildlife-friendly farming can be expanded markedly by identifying auspicious scenarios. We sampled 1478 Australians and found there were significant willingness-to-pay values, up to 200%, suggesting large-scale commercial feasibility.
The premiums could enable consumer-funded incentive programs across a substantial proportion of the Riverina’s rice fields. We found direct-sourcing, endorsement, certification, pesticide reduction and industry support were important. It’s open access, free for everyone to read here: