Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
relationship with adoption; a grain farmer is more likely to have positive
relationship. Better soil quality seems to lead farmers to be more likely to
practice conservation BMPs.
10. Synthesis results are inconclusive about which factors consistently deter-
mine BMP adoption.
11. Social factors appear to determine adoption: education levels, income,
acres, capital, diversity, labor, and access to information generally lead to
better adoption rates.
12. Social networks are complex to measure but seem to positively influence
adoption of BMP rates.
Prokopy concludes that “…determinants of adoption of BMPs may well be dif-
ferent than determinants of adoption for the entire set of agricultural innovations”
(Prokopy et al. 2008). This is consistent with the assessment by Coughenour and
Chamala (2000) that conservation agriculture is different than adopting one man-
agement technology at a time, requiring a systems approach rather than solving one
specific problem.
2.7.3 c
aPacity
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ct
: W
hoSe
r
eSPonSiBility
i
S
i
t
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rotect
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oil
?
Humans have invented the concept of risk to understand and cope with danger and
uncertainties they face in life; dangers are real, but there is no such thing as a real
risk or objective risk. All risks are subjective; assumptions and inputs of risk assess-
ments depend on judgment (Slovic 2009). Scientific classifications and definitions of
marginality aside, in practice, it is the land managers' perceptions and actions that
determine the condition of the soil. It is a judgment call if a farmer perceives the soil
they farm is at risk of losing its function and becoming marginal. Seasonal produc-
tion decisions and market variability create a short-term crisis and opportunities that
draw farmer and public policy attention. Significant losses of soil that affect produc-
tion yields are often long-term losses that are less visible and compelling.
Agriculture is at a pivotal point in terms of societal demands for agricultural
systems with improved sustainability—systems that address and balance social,
economic, and environmental performance (NRC 2010). The challenge is to better
match soil characteristics and climate conditions to social and biophysical functions
in our working agriculture landscapes. Past uses and the complex matrix of decisions
at the individual land manager and policy levels make it difficult to create agricul-
tural systems to meet the many functional goals of society.
There are field-, farm-, and watershed-scale management practices in concert
with public policies, which can prevent quality soils from becoming marginal,
improve already marginal soils, and better match soil characteristics to ecosystem
function needs. As science better understands the ecosystem roles of soils, concepts
of marginality are likely to evolve. Lands considered marginal for crop production
may not truly be marginal when they offer society other valued services such as
regulating water flows; filtering, cycling, and storing nutrients; providing livelihoods
from forest lands and grasslands; and detoxifying organic and inorganic materials. A
critical question is how to improve the balance between the farm-level productivity
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