(ANKENY, IA) The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS), in collaboration with Iowa State University (ISU), is proud to announce the release of the 2024 Conservation Practitioner Poll Summary Report. This comprehensive survey, led by ISU professor and extension sociologist Dr. J. Arbuckle, ISU Extension and Outreach water quality programs manager Catherine DeLong, ISU postdoctoral research associate Dr. Chris Morris, and SWCS CEO Clare Lindahl, captures the voices of conservation practitioners to spotlight their experiences, challenges, and recommendations. The report identifies critical needs and presents actionable strategies to enhance the effectiveness of conservation program delivery and outcomes across the region.
This second iteration of the poll builds upon the inaugural 2021 survey. It captures insights from over 300 conservation practitioners working directly with farmers and landowners across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The findings highlight the most pressing needs, challenges, and successes in advancing soil and water conservation efforts.
Key Findings at a Glance
Enhancing Conservation Capacity:
- 82% of respondents identified a medium or high need for greater capacity to provide farmers and landowners with technical assistance.
- Looking specifically at the high need for human capital, 49% indicated a high need for improved onboarding and training for new employees, reflecting staffing and resource challenges.
Streamlining Processes:
- 90% of respondents rated streamlining contracting processes as “helpful” or “very helpful,” aligning with frustrations over cumbersome paperwork and inefficiencies.
Job Satisfaction and Challenges:
- Approximately 56% of respondents reported being satisfied with their jobs most or all of the time, citing direct work with farmers, marking observable impacts on the environment and their community, and working in teams and collaborations as highlights.
- Practitioners highlighted three major challenges in their work: excessive paperwork and process complexity, limited human and financial resources, and the ineffectiveness of programs coupled with insufficient progress.
Climate-Smart Agriculture:
- While 69% of practitioners were interested in additional training on climate-smart agriculture, only 20% believe that discussions about climate change help engage farmers in conservation.
- 62% of practitioners were comfortable providing technical assistance on climate-smart agriculture, a significant increase from 37% in 2021.
Safety Concerns and Underserved Producers:
- Safety was not a concern for a majority of conservation practitioners. However, there was a difference in the level of concern based on gender, with female respondents being significantly more concerned about the lack of cell phone service in rural areas, meeting alone with clients, discrimination, and sexual harassment/assault than male respondents.
- The majority of practitioners saw at least some need for support to improve their work with historically underserved producers. The leading need was training on diverse crops, with 65% identifying it as a medium or high need.
Insights and Impact
Conservation practitioners play a critical role in bridging the gap between policy and practice. This report serves as a vital tool for policymakers, conservation organizations, and agricultural stakeholders to understand and address the on-the-ground challenges conservation practitioners face. By incorporating these insights into programs and policies, the nation can move closer to achieving sustainable conservation goals that benefit farmers, communities, and the environment.
“The voices of conservation practitioners are vital to shaping effective policies and practices,” said Clare Lindahl, CEO of SWCS. “This report demonstrates the importance of listening to those working directly with farmers to address our nation’s soil and water conservation challenges.”
The full 2024 Conservation Practitioner Poll Summary Report is available for download at HERE. If you want to learn more about the poll results, join the Conservation Voices: Conservation Practitioners Would Like to Have a Word! Webinar on January 28, 2025, from 1 – 2 p.m. CT. This is the first webinar of SWCS’s new Conservation Voices webinar series, and we will dig into the results and implications of the poll with three of the poll’s authors: Dr. J. Arbuckle, Clare Lindahl, and Dr. Chris Morris. Register today to learn more!
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About the Soil and Water Conservation Society
For seventy-nine years, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has been the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society. The Soil and Water Conservation Society is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, with chapters across the United States and Canada.