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Modeling likelihood of farmer participation in the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Technical Assistance program in West Virginia
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation ( IF 3.9 ) Pub Date : 2021-05-01 , DOI: 10.2489/jswc.2021.00001
M.D. Oliver , K.A. Gazal

Food and fiber production on America’s farmlands have a major influence on the environment, rural economies, and healthy communities. Therefore, soil and water conservation practices are critical. Nonetheless, research has shown there are few, if any, universal factors that influence farmer conservation practice adoption. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided no-fee technical assistance for nearly 100 years through the Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program, which encourages farmers to engage in voluntary conservation practices without financial incentives. However, in recent years, funding for CTA, which supports NRCS staffing levels and training, has remained relatively flat. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to determine the factors that influence farmer participation in the CTA program. Given the need for more comprehensive theoretical approaches in the literature, a holistic theory of change that contemplates individual and institutional factors was developed based on the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach and Community Capitals Framework (CCF). This theoretical model was used to develop and test hypotheses. Data from a mailed questionnaire were quantitatively analyzed to assess farmer motivations and barriers to participation. Results showed informal training, acreage, land use, viewing the farm as a monetary investment, cost-benefit analysis, income, and the role of NRCS staff as educators to be positive motivators, while culturally driven factors, such as the desire for tidy-looking landscapes, are potential barriers. Future research should continue to refine this theoretical model while also investigating the influence of social groups, farmer and nongovernmental organizational trust levels, peer lending circles, and institutional factors such as NRCS organizational capacity in greater detail.

中文翻译:

模拟农民参与西弗吉尼亚州的美国农业部自然资源保护服务保护技术援助计划的可能性

美国农田的粮食和纤维生产对环境,农村经济和健康社区具有重大影响。因此,水土保持措施至关重要。尽管如此,研究表明,几乎没有影响农民采用保护性耕作方法的普遍因素。美国农业部自然资源保护局(NRCS)通过保护技术援助(CTA)计划提供了近100年的免费技术援助,该计划鼓励农民在没有经济激励的情况下从事自愿性保护活动。但是,近年来,用于支持NRCS人员配备和培训的CTA资金一直相对稳定。因此,本研究的主要目的是确定影响农民参与CTA计划的因素。考虑到文献中需要更全面的理论方法,在基于资产的社区发展(ABCD)方法和社区资本框架(CCF)的基础上,开发了一种考虑个人和制度因素的整体变革理论。这个理论模型被用来发展和检验假设。对来自邮寄问卷的数据进行了定量分析,以评估农民的动机和参与障碍。结果表明,非正式培训,耕地,土地使用,将农场视为一项货币投资,成本效益分析,收入以及NRCS员工作为教育者的角色是积极的激励因素,而文化驱动的因素(例如,对农作物进行整洁的渴望)看风景,是潜在的障碍。
更新日期:2021-05-07
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