An Examination of Growing Trends in Land Tenure and Conservation Practice Adoption: Results from a Farmer Survey in Iowa

Sarah Varble; Silvia Secchi; Caroline Gottschalk Druschke

doi:10.1007/s00267-015-0619-5

Back

An Examination of Growing Trends in Land Tenure and Conservation Practice Adoption: Results from a Farmer Survey in Iowa

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

An Examination of Growing Trends in Land Tenure and Conservation Practice Adoption: Results from a Farmer Survey in Iowa

Sarah Varble, Silvia Secchi and Caroline Gottschalk Druschke

Environmental management (New York), Vol.57(2), pp.318-330

02/2016

DOI: 10.1007/s00267-015-0619-5

PMCID: PMC4712228

PMID: 26514123

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0619-5View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Tenants and part-owners are farming an increasing number of acres in the United States, while full-owners are farming fewer acres. This shift in ownership is a potential cause for concern because some previous research indicated that tenant and part-owner farmers were less likely to adopt conservation practices than farmers who owned the land they farmed. If that trend persists, ownership changes would signal a national drop in conservation adoption. Here we examine this issue using a survey of agricultural operators in the Clear Creek watershed in Iowa, a state with intensive agricultural production. We compare adoption of conservation practices, and preferences for conservation information sources and communication channels, between farmers who rent some portion of the land they farm (tenants and part-owners) and farmers who own all of the land they farm (full-owners). We find that renters are more likely to practice conservation tillage than full-owners, though they are less likely to rotate crops. In addition, renters report using federal government employees (specifically, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency) as their primary sources of conservation information, while full-owners most frequently rely on neighbors, friends, and County Extension. These findings are significant for conservation policy because, unlike some past research, they indicate that renters are not resistant to all types of conservation practices, echoing recent studies finding an increase in conservation adoption among non-full-owners. Our results emphasize the importance of government conservation communication and can inform outreach efforts by helping tailor effective, targeted conservation strategies for owners and renters.

United States

Conservation of Natural Resources - trends

Iowa

Ownership

Farmers

Humans

Crops, Agricultural - growth & development

Female

Surveys and Questionnaires

Agriculture - methods

Socioeconomic Factors

Details

Title: Subtitle: An Examination of Growing Trends in Land Tenure and Conservation Practice Adoption: Results from a Farmer Survey in Iowa
Creators: Sarah Varble - Southern Illinois University, Faner Hall, Mail Code 4541, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA. svarble@hotmail.com
Silvia Secchi - Southern Illinois University, Faner Hall, Mail Code 4541, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA. ssecchi@siu.edu
Caroline Gottschalk Druschke - University of Rhode Island, 105 Coastal Institute, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA. cgd@uri.edu
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Environmental management (New York), Vol.57(2), pp.318-330
DOI: 10.1007/s00267-015-0619-5
PMID: 26514123
PMCID: PMC4712228
NLM abbreviation: Environ Manage
ISSN: 1432-1009
eISSN: 1432-1009
Publisher: United States
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100000001, name: National Science Foundation, award: 0835607, 1114978
Language: English
Date published: 02/2016
Academic Unit: Public Policy Center (Archive); Geographical and Sustainability Sciences; University College Courses
Record Identifier: 9983917794702771

Metrics

27 Record Views

57 Times Cited - Web of Science