TY - JOUR
T1 - Synthesizing Conservation Motivations and Barriers
T2 - What Have We Learned from Qualitative Studies of Farmers’ Behaviors in the United States?
AU - Ranjan, Pranay
AU - Church, Sarah P.
AU - Floress, Kristin
AU - Prokopy, Linda S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Since 2011, qualitative studies examining adoption of conservation practices and programs (CPPs) have burgeoned. This article presents a systematic review of all U.S.-based qualitative investigations into CPP adoption since 1996. We found three themes are discussed primarily as motivating adoption: farmer characteristics, environmental awareness, and trust in information sources. Four themes are discussed primarily as barriers to adoption: farm management, negative perceptions of a conservation practice, perceptions that adoption is a risk, and land tenure. Four themes were discussed as both motivations and barriers: economic factors, social norms, perceptions of government programs, and farm characteristics. Overall, we found farmers’ economic and management needs and their perceived and actual limitations to conservation behavior influenced adoption. Implications of our findings for policymakers and practitioners include promoting systems-based conservation strategies and stressing the benefits of conservation practices.
AB - Since 2011, qualitative studies examining adoption of conservation practices and programs (CPPs) have burgeoned. This article presents a systematic review of all U.S.-based qualitative investigations into CPP adoption since 1996. We found three themes are discussed primarily as motivating adoption: farmer characteristics, environmental awareness, and trust in information sources. Four themes are discussed primarily as barriers to adoption: farm management, negative perceptions of a conservation practice, perceptions that adoption is a risk, and land tenure. Four themes were discussed as both motivations and barriers: economic factors, social norms, perceptions of government programs, and farm characteristics. Overall, we found farmers’ economic and management needs and their perceived and actual limitations to conservation behavior influenced adoption. Implications of our findings for policymakers and practitioners include promoting systems-based conservation strategies and stressing the benefits of conservation practices.
KW - Adoption
KW - agricultural BMP
KW - conservation practices and programs
KW - policy and practice implications
KW - qualitative synthesis
KW - water quality
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U2 - 10.1080/08941920.2019.1648710
DO - 10.1080/08941920.2019.1648710
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85070932002
SN - 0894-1920
VL - 32
SP - 1171
EP - 1199
JO - Society and Natural Resources
JF - Society and Natural Resources
IS - 11
ER -