17 pages., via online journal, Calls for improved targeting of conservation resources are increasingly common. However, arguments for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of agricultural conservation programs through proactive targeting are often tempered by questions regarding political feasibility. Such questions rest on an assumption that there will be resistance to these approaches, whether from farmers, farm groups, or elected officials, yet there is little research-based evidence supporting that assumption. Analysis of data on Iowa farmers’ attitudes toward targeted conservation indicates that most farmers support targeted approaches. Specific factors associated with endorsement of targeted approaches include awareness of agriculture's environmental impacts, belief that farmers should address water quality problems, having experienced significant soil erosion, belief that extreme weather will become more common, participation in the Conservation Reserve Program, and belief that farmers who have natural resource issues are less likely to seek conservation assistance. Concerns about government intrusion were negative predictors of support for targeted approaches.
17 pages., via online journal article, The Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention
Program (SFLR) was launched in 2012 to increase adoption of sustainable forestry practices among African American landowners in
the southeastern United States to prevent land loss, increase forest
health, and build economic assets. One of its main goals was to
build communication networks through which African American
landowners could obtain and share information about forestry practices and landowner assistance programs independent of public agencies. To measure and examine the growth of these communication
networks over a three-year period (2014-2017), we conducted 87
interviews with landowners (24 of whom were interviewed multiple
times), SFLR personnel, and Federal and State staff members in
North Carolina. We used complementary methods of data gathering
and analysis, including social network analysis and qualitative analysis. Our results showed expanding communication networks will be
sustained independently of the program over time, although there is
still a heavy reliance on program personnel.
10 pages, How to increase conservation practices on farmland is a never-ending discussion topic for those working in the area of agriculture. Targeting of potential clients through conservation marketing is a key principle. Yet, prior research has identified that women and people of color are largely “invisible” in agriculture, to federal agricultural and conservation agencies. In this content analysis, we conduct an analysis of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency websites and social media to determine the inclusiveness of marketing by USDA. Our analysis of gender and race focuses on three primary categories: (1) numbers; (2) focus; and (3) roles. Our findings reveal that the USDA is perpetuating a normative position of agriculture as a man’s world with its dominant focus on the white male. The findings highlight how women (especially those of color) are marginalized in agricultural imagery by federal agricultural agencies that provide conservation programs.