Post on 11-Feb-2017
transcript
SWCS Annual Conference: July 26, 2016Jennifer Filipiak, Associate Midwest Director
American Farmland TrustDr. Angie Carter, Fellow Assistant Professor of Sociology,
Augustana College
Using face-face interviews to design outreach & communication in two new
MRBI watersheds in Illinois
Saving the land that sustains us
Protecting farm and ranch land Promoting sound farming practices Keeping farmers on the land
Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction
Strategy
HUC8 watersheds by yield (lbs/ac/yr)
Blue = Nitrate concern
Green = Phosphorus concern
Springfield
St. Louis
Upper MacoupinCreek
Chicago
Vermilion Headwaters
Vermilion Headwaters Watershed
Watershed characteristics:• 254,319 acres • ~420 producers• 93% row crops
Upper Macoupin CreekWatershed characteristics:
• 67,842 acres • ~308 producers• 60% row crops• 22% forested
Goal: Establish conservation participation baselineHow many farmers have already adopted conservation practices?What kinds of practices?Who has adopted conservation practices?
Rogers’ (2013) Diffusion of Innovation theory
Methods• Worked with FSA to create watershed specific
lists• Sent letters, followed by calls, then interviews.• Interviewers: Livingston SWCD, Ford SWCD;
Macoupin SWCD (retired)• Shared prelim. results with watersheds
• 116 interviews complete (28%) in VH• 76 interviews complete (25%) in UM
What drives adoption?Previous
conservation implementationPerceived
cost Social networks
Information access Land tenure
relationships
Size of farm/acres
farmed
Environmental awareness/
responsibility
Environmental awareness/responsibilityQuestion % Strongly
disagree or disagree
%Neutral
% Agree or strongly agree
(Vermilion/Macoupin)It is my personal responsibility to help protect water quality
00
10%4%
91%96%
I would be willing to pay more to improve water quality (e.g. local taxes)
23%24%
53%47%
24%27%
I would be willing to change management practices to improve WQ
1%1%
32%26%
68%73%
Environmental awareness/
responsibility
81% (Vermilion) and 53% (Macoupin) of farmers interviewed were doing some type of conservation beyond nutrient management (almost all are splitting N application somehow)
91% (Vermilion) and 96% (Macoupin) agree they have responsibility to help with water quality
Why is there a water quality problem?
Have we reached the “tipping point”?
I do everything I can to keep nitrates
out of the water leaving my farm
I’m not pro or against cover crops – let the neighbors
try it for 5 years and see
I leave residue so I don’t see
black snow
The profitability of The profitability of farming has been good so I’m not
taking land out of production.
I don’t need to I don’t need to use cover crops, I have good soil
– Pella and Bryce.My biggest concern
is keeping our farm better than when we
started farming
Innovator? Early majority? Non adopter?
Social networks
Survey bias and unknowns…• Presenting our best selves (bias)• Land tenure/size of farm (bias)• Proximity – more likely to talk to farmers
visiting the office (bias)• Right practice in the right place at the right
time… (unknown)
Quantitative plus qualitative: storytelling, listening sessions:
Learning about and accepting the multiple realities of understanding the world.
Social networks: What already exists?
The message and the messenger –tailored to the audience:
Ag advisors, farm managers, tenants, landlords/ladies, owner-operators
Recommendations & next steps
©J Eells, E Resources Group
We also need to become innovators!
Next step: Targeted communications