Adoption and disadoption of soil and water conservation practices:

Title: Adoption and disadoption of soil and water conservation practices: Understanding shifts in farmers' adoption behavior over time.

Location:  Statewide

Time Period:  2022 - 2025

Research Team: J. Arbuckle, Suraj Upadhaya, Lisa Schulte-Moore, Chris Morris. Research collaborators Laurie Nowatzke, Hao Sun, and Zhengyuan Zhu

Project Description:  Agriculture in the United States faces challenges in achieving sustainable production and widespread conservation practice use on farms. While past research has focused on drivers of conservation adoption, gaps remain, particularly regarding changes in practice use over time and beyond binary adoption measures. This study examines a dynamic model of adoption using longitudinal survey data from 6,006 Iowa farmers (2015-2019). 3,202 respondents completed the survey at least twice, allowing for an assessment of no-till and cover crop adoption over two- to three-year periods. Adoption status was categorized into non-adoption, open to adoption, and adoption. The analysis revealed substantial movement between categories, with many farmers disadopting practices after initial adoption. Although many farmers adopted practices during the study, the overall adoption rates did not significantly increase over time. Significant spatial differences were observed, but no substantial temporal effects were detected. These findings have important implications for conservation policy and outreach.

Publications:

Hao Sun, Suraj Upadhaya, Chris Morris, J. Arbuckle Laurie Nowatzke, Zhengyuan Zhu. Under Review. The Flux of Agricultural Conservation: Understanding Changes in Iowa Farmers’ Adoption of Cover Crops and No-till over Time. Society and Natural Resources.

Funders: Iowa Nutrient Research Center. Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station.