Identification of Factors Affecting Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices by Some Rainfed Farmers in Iran

Abstract

In recent decades, large investments have been made to introduce soil conservation methods, but most of these efforts have had limited success in achieving the goals. As a result, attempt to identify the factors deterring or promoting adoption of soil conservation practices is important. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate factors affecting adoption of soil conservation practices by rain-fed farmers. Data were gathered from 178 farmers of Izeh County in Khuzestan Province, Iran, during 2010 crop season. An ordered Logit regression model was applied to analyze the data. The results have revealed that farmers’ perception of soil erosion and their knowledge about soil conservation practices, farms size, and grant funding have a positive effect, while farmers’ levels of academic education and number of plots have negative effects on farmers’ adoption. To promote adoption of conservation practices, awarding grants, holding targeted training/extension classes to increase farmers’ knowledge about soil erosion, and methods of coping with it are suggested. Keywords: Erosion, Ordered logit model, Soil conservation measures