Analyzing the Adoption Behavior of Soil Conservation Measures among Farmers (A Case Study: Chehel Chay Watershed in Golestan Province)

   Due to the fact that soil erosion in the sloping lands of Chehelchai watershed in Golestan province is severe and has a negative impact on soil fertility and productivity for food production, it is necessary to use more soil conservation measures than other areas. In this regard, several measures have been conducted for soil conservation by the related government agencies, such as the Agricultural Jihad Organization and the Department of Natural Resources and Watershed Management. The Agricultural Jihad Organization has extensively explained the consequences of continuous plowing on land slopes, and has provided guidelines for promoting practices such as terracing, tree planting, and minimal tillaging. In addition, there have been little successes in adoption of terrace methods, plowing in the opposite direction of slope, minimal tillage, as well as a combination of these methods. Therefore, the present study intends to use Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and recognition of influential factors on the adoption of soil conservation methods in sloping lands to provide basic information that is consistent with the reality and conditions of the region in order to prevent the waste of natural resources, especially farm soil.

The present study adopts a cross-sectional survey research. The tool for data collection and measurement of variables was a questionnaire that was developed according to the framework of TPB. Thus, the questionnaire is divided into four main parts, including: 1) personal characteristics; 2) characteristics of the production system; 3) soil erosion status and 4) items related to measuring soil conservation behavior that has been developed based on TPB framework. The target population consisted of 1700 landholders from 26 villages in the area, of which 313 were selected based on Krejcie Morgan table as a sample and were randomly stratified. Validity of the questionnaire was obtained through a group of experts and its reliability was confirmed by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient (mean coefficient = 0.78). The gathered data were analyzed by SPSS Version 23 software.

The results showed that a considerable proportion of land owned by farmers is sloping and under continuous cultivation of various crops. Based on the results of the research, farmers assessed the high level of erosion of their fields and expressed great concern about the consequences of erosion on the field and its fertility loss. The presence of heavy rains, followed by the occurrence of destructive floods and the accumulation of sediments in the lowlands, which has challenged the conditions for agriculture, have played a major role in creating this concern. Despite these concerns, most of the respondents were not familiar with erosion control methods and more than half of the farmers did not believe in the effectiveness of soil conservation methods in controlling erosion of agricultural lands. The results of Mann-Whitney test showed that the soil conservation behavior was connected to land type, type of cultivation, concern of erosion as a problem in the field, familiarity with soil erosion control methods at 95% confidence level. In addition, people who participated in extension classes related to soil conservation had better performance in adoption of soil conservation measures. Based on the findings of Kruskal-Wallis test, there was significant relationship between soil conservation behavior and erosion status and belief in the effectiveness of soil conservation methods. It was also found that he lower the erosion status on land and the greater the belief in the effectiveness of soil conservation methods in controlling erosion, the better the behavior of adoption soil conservation measures. The correlation results indicated that there is a positive and significant correlation between the adoption behavior and the variables of total land area, sloping land area and cultivation area. Also, the results of path analysis showed that the variables of attitude (0.148), subjective norm (0.262) and behavior control (0.412) have a direct and significant effect on the dependent variable of adoption behavior. These variables implied that 51.6% of the changes in the variance of dependent variable was explained by two variables of intention and behavior control.
 

Due to heavy rainfall and subsequent destructive floods upstream, there is extensive concern about the consequences of erosion among farmers in the sloping lands of Chehel-Chay watershed in Golestan province. There is also a favorable attitude towards soil conservation. However, due to little familiarity with methods of soil erosion control, it is necessary to take many extension and educational measures. Therefore, offering training material and skill promotion workshops about soil conservation should be considered. Moreover, facilitating meeting and contact with local extension agents is necessary for promoting their knowledge and skill about soil conservation. Furthermore, providing financial incentives and low-interest and long-term loan for farmers are effective ways to encourage formers to adopt and use more soil conservation measures.