Name: Anikka Fife
Date: 07/29/2026
Time (EST/EDT): 11:00 AM
Location: 115 West St, Annapolis, MD
Remote Access: email: mees@umd.edu

Committee Chair: Matthew Houser
Committee Members: Dr. Xin Zhang Dr. Katie May Laumann

Title: Exploring On-Farm Green Nitrogen Production: Farmers’ Views on an Innovative Fertilizer Technology

Abstract: Abstract: Green nitrogen is a new technology that is emerging in the sustainable sector of fuel and fertilizer. As green solutions like green nitrogen develop and the data is synthesized to understand the sustainability potential of such a technology, there is also a need to understand how this technology may be applied, integrated and adapted by end users such as farmers. Behavioral analysis of farmers can help us to understand farmers’ views on agricultural technology and thereby provide an opportunity to advance effective implementation of green technological solutions for agriculture policy making and industrial use. Through a mixed methods approach, this study seeks to understand how farmers in a specific region, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, may perceive their nitrogen management practices should they adopt the use of green nitrogen. This analysis draws on qualitative and quantitative methods which focused on farmers’ perceptions of possible risks associated with the adoption of on-farm green nitrogen units, the barriers that may arise inhibiting farmers to adopt the technology and the potential motivations that exist for farmers to adopt the technology. The continued inefficient use of N fertilizer poses challenges for agricultural and nutrient management practices, effective management of ecosystems and design of nutrient management regulations. Through understanding farmer’s perspectives, recommendations can be made to further ongoing research regarding present and future infrastructure, technological design, and governmental policy for green nitrogen, and farmers use.