Journal of Soil and Water Conservation· 2019Q2· Review
Adoption of agricultural conservation practices in the United States: Evidence from 35 years of quantitative literature
- 539citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2019year
Short summary
A 35-year review of US agricultural conservation adoption studies reveals few consistently significant predictors, with farmer motivation, environmental attitudes, and prior adoption being key positive drivers.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Few variables consistently predict conservation practice adoption across studies.
- Stewardship motivation, environmental attitudes, and prior adoption are key positive predictors.
- Awareness of programs/practices and expected yield impacts also correlate with adoption.
- Variables like land tenure were not consistently important.
- Farmer identity, land tenure nuances, and structural factors warrant further research.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This is a comprehensive review of all published, quantitative studies focused on adoption of agricultural conservation practices in the United States between 1982 and 2017. This review finds that, taken as a whole, few independent variables have a consistent statistically significant relationship with adoption. Analyses showed that variables positively associated with adoption include the farmer self-identifying primarily as stewardship motivated or otherwise nonfinancially motivated, environmental attitudes, a positive attitude toward the particular program or practice, previous adoption of other conservation practices, seeking and using information, awareness of programs or practices, vulnerable land, greater farm size, higher levels of income and formal education, engaging in marketing arrangements, and positive yield impact expected. Some variables often thought to be important, such as land tenure, did not emerge as consistently important in this cross-study review. Other variables, such as farmers9 sense of place, training, presence of institutional conditions supporting adoption, and the role of collective decision making are not measured in enough studies to draw conclusions but potentially have a relationship with adoption decisions. Implications for how to promote conservation adoption and directions for future research are discussed. Because positive attitudes and awareness of conservation programs or practices are positive predictors of adoption, practitioners should share benefits of specific practices and programs and leverage existing practice adoption. Further work to explore relationships between conservation adoption and the role of farmer identity, nuances of land tenure, and the influence of structural factors is needed. Moreover, we suggest that future research should focus on the impact of different messages and avenues of reaching farmers in order to continue to inform conservation practices. Future research should consider both individual and institutional factors that facilitate and constrain adoption.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2019 · DOI ↗
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Field: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
General Agricultural and Biological SciencesAgricultural and Biological Sciences