Factors Affecting the Adoption of Soil Mechanical Conservation Practices in Dry Lands of the Izeh Township

Land degradation due to soil erosion has been well pointed out as one of the most serious ecological and economic problems that some such South Asian countries including Iran are faced with. Although high investment has been made, particularly in introduction of soil conservational mechanical practices, the level of acceptance of these practices has been low and while a high rate of erosion continued. Using cross-sectional data obtained from a sample of 178 dry farmers in Izeh Township, in this research it is attempted to identify the major factors influencing farmers’ adoption of soil erosion control mechanical practices. An estimation of the Logit Regression Models revealed that total farm size, perception of soil erosion, belief in the impact of control measures on soil erosion, participation in trainings related to soil conservation as well as land ownership, are positive and significant effective factors on farmers’ decision in adoption of conservation measures. This is while, age, education, distance of the farms from residence and off-farm employment, are negative and significant effective factors that influence farmers’ adoption decisions. Based on the results, trainings regarding soil conservation which increase the farmer's awareness and technical knowledge concerning adverse the effects of erosion and benefits from soil conservation measures are quite indispensable. It is suggested to also increase the financial supports as one of the important policies adopted in the extension of mechanical control measures.