ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND THE PATTERNED ADOPTION OF SOIL CONSERVATION IN THE STRAWBERRY HILLS OF MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA

Extensive research over the past 50 years has concentrated on explaini ng the adoption of soil conservation practices in terms of individual farmer and farm firm characteristics. This article suggests an expande d approach in which the socioeconomic context of individual behavior i s considered. Descriptive results from a survey of ethnically diverse strawberry farmers on erodible lands in California are used to develop a social model of conservation adoption. Angle, Japanese, and Mexican farmers are shown to differ in terms of personal experience in the in dustry, farm business characteristics, information networks, and attit udes about farming. The concepts of knowledge systems and normative fa rm management styles are introduced as a framework for understanding t he influence of ethnic historical context on current behavior. The imp lications of this model for resource conservation policy also are disc ussed. Recognition of the influence of social group membership is crit ical in the development of effective conservation programs and policie s.