Understanding farmer preferences for bio-based fertilizers and their usage: Evidence from Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Global agriculture faces increasing challenges from reliance on mineral fertilizers, including price fluctuations, resource depletion, and environmental pressures. Circular bio-based fertilizers produced from organic residues offer a potential alternative by recycling nutrients and improving soil health. However, little is known about how farmers perceive these products in tropical smallholder settings, and whether they are seen as complements to or substitutes for mineral fertilizers. This study explores these questions through a choice experiment with 264 farmers in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, including an information treatment outlining benefits and drawbacks of both fertilizer types. Farmers valued high nutrient and organic matter content and fast nutrient release, while disliking high prices and long travel distances to obtain fertilizers. Information increased appreciation for organic matter and slow-release products. Additional analysis showed that nutrient content, price, and prior mineral fertilizer use influenced whether bio-based fertilizers were preferred as substitutes or complements.