Decoding and leveraging the farmer messenger effect to accelerate the adoption of critical edge-of-field conservation practices

Date: 
Jul 2023

Issue

Researchers, conservationists and policy makers have extensive knowledge regarding the incentives and barriers for working-land conservation practices. However, in contrast, there is much less understanding regarding what induces or inhibits landowners’ and farmers’ adoption of edge-of-field practices.

Objective

Researchers will build on the 2021 INRC project “Identifying the barriers and strategies to accelerate the adoption of critical Edge-of-field Conservation Practices: A Farmer-Centric Integrated Research & Extension Approach.” This proposed project will further decode and unpack the messenger effect in encouraging farmers to adopt critical EOF conservation practices.

Approach

Activity for this project will include:

  1. Researchers will work on videos and infographics that adopt more of a transportive narrative style.
  2. More than 4,000 individuals farming in the Des Moines and Iowa River watersheds will be surveyed with split sample design featuring different messengers and messages about EOF practice adoption and corresponding environmental benefits. Specifically, the project will examine the following questions:
    1. Do farmers react differently to a female vs. male early farmer adopter who is narrating the messages about EOF practices?
    2. Is a factsheet still preferred to a video even when the video is more engaging, tells a more effective story and has added supplemental footage that illustrates the flora and fauna that are a part of some EOF practices?
    3. Can we design the survey questions to enhance farmers’ knowledge of these less-well-known and often-mistaken EOF practices?
    4. Can we tell the “story” of these practices to be more impactful?

Project Updates

Note: Project reports published on the INRC website are often revised from researchers' original reports to increase consistency.

January 2025

Administration of the online survey began the first week of July 2024. We sent out to 7,500 farmers and landowners, hoping for a 16% response rate. We got a 10.9% response rate and 764 completed (or partially completed but usable) surveys. Data has been cleaned up and analysis is beginning. We met in mid-December to have a first look at the data and discuss findings. Very excited about what we are seeing in the survey. There are no concerns about results based on fixing several language issues and the treatments seem to have had an impact.

Other accomplishments and activities 

1 presentation, 7/25/2024, to the Conservation Drainage Network Growth and Adoption Committee – Decoding Iowa Farmers’ Understanding of Edge of Field Practices, by Jacqueline Comito. 

July 2024

All of the treatments for the new survey were created: four videos (male, female farmers with and without wildlife) and five infographics (male, female farmers with and without wildlife, and traditional extension publication).

We completed the new online survey design and questionnaire and determined a larger sample to ensure adequate response. The survey went out the first week of July. The survey will continue to be administered through summer up to harvest. We will analyze data and arrange for presentations, writing of the report and possible journal articles.

Related Accomplishments and Activities 

A proposal for related work was submitted to NIFA but it was not successful. 

December 2023

This project started in September. We have established timeline for survey and also discussed elements of the videos we need for the on-line survey. We are also developing the survey.

Water Quality Proposals related to INRC funded work submitted for funding  - USDA NIFA, research/extension project. We are expanding on the idea of message and messenger. The project will include two institutions in Alabama and is led by Cornell in New York.

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