So we built it. . . But will they come?Understanding the Social Dimension

Linda Prokopy, Ph.D.Nick Babin, Ph.D.Purdue University

Natural Resource Social Science Lab at Purdue

SurveysInterviews Focus groupsFacilitated meetings

Focus on farmers and farm advisors and water quality

Our Process in the Watershed Approach

1) Start with a watershed with sufficient capacity

2) Interview agency staff3) Interview producers4) Social indicator surveys5) Detailed report with outreach

recommendations6) Ongoing guidance for conducting farmer

meetings

Social Capacity

• Paid watershed staff• Active conservation groups• Inter‐agency trust and 

collaboration• Problem salience and 

awareness• “Basic” BMPs already 

adopted• Some farmers are 

conservation leaders

Source: facilitated discussion with government program administrators, university researchers, and professional resource managers

Interviews in Matson Ditch

In-depth, qualitative3 agency/county staff8 producers:– 3 non-participants– 2 past-participants– 3 active-participants

Lack of ownership of problem“If it is affecting the lake than it is out of sight, out of mind.” (Non-participant) “There is only so much we can do about it, you need to look at city folk as well.” (Past-participant) “If the problem is phosphorus and Lake Erie than many producers will point out the role of golf courses, lawns.” (Active-participant) “We wanted clean water but farmers are always getting blamed. There is too much focus on the agricultural sector for this pollution.” (Past-participant)

Burnout from past activities“The water is worn out from testing; you shake your head that we are paying for this.” (Non-participant) “It also seems like the (CEAP) researchers have no idea how agriculture works and aren’t producing any results that are interesting to us. For example, when they gave us the results of the stalk nitrate testing, they gave no yield data.” (Past-participant)

RecommendationsSell as continuation of old projects not “new” initiativeConvene advisory group of key farmers and important actors in watershedEngage agronomists and Pheasants Forever

Focus on specific concerns with practices, e.g. two-stage ditches

Two-stage ditches“What do they look like in 5-10 years? Will it have to be dug out and re-seeded every 2 years? Who pays for that?” (Non-participant)“I mean yeah they are a great thing but they cost a lot of money, and where do you put the dirt?” (SWCD Employee)“I have to be careful I am not blocking drainage and that some kind of in-stream or filter practice doesn’t change the upstream drainage pattern.” (Surveyor)

Nature.org

Our Process

1) Start with a watershed with sufficient capacity

2) Interview agency staff3) Interview producers4) Social indicator surveys5) Detailed report with outreach

recommendations6) Ongoing guidance for conducting farmer

meetings

Social Indicator SurveysBaseline measures of awareness, attitudes, constraints and behaviorsModeled upon surveys developed for EPA Region 5 (more info at www.iwr.msu.edu/sidma)Survey random sample or census of farmersCan inform outreach programming and serves as evaluation tool

Our Process

1) Start with a watershed with sufficient capacity

2) Interview agency staff3) Interview producers4) Social indicator surveys5) Detailed report with outreach

recommendations6) Ongoing guidance for conducting farmer

meetings

Contact Information:Linda Prokopy

lprokopy@purdue.eduhttp://web.ics.purdue.edu/~lprokopy/

Photo credit: nasa.gov

Questions?