The adoption of agricultural innovations has long been studied across disciplines to understand why and how farmers choose to adopt — or not adopt — new technologies and practices. Despite a substantial body of literature, some aspects remain underexplored in understanding decision-making processes and how to design effective policies that support adoption.

This thesis contributes to this discussion by examining three key dimensions of sustainable practice adoption among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe: farmers’ preferences, monetary incentives to encourage collective action, and social capital dynamics. It combines a discrete choice experiment and lab-in-the-field games. The findings highlight the diversity of preferences and constraints faced by farmers, the role of incentive structures in promoting cooperation, and how pre-existing social capital shapes participation in community-based development. Together, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the multiple factors that shape adoption decisions in smallholder farming systems