Identifying and Analyzing Barriers to the Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices from Farmers’ Perspective: (A Case Study of Golestan Province)

Soil conservation is the bedrock of food security and environmental sustainability,yet its success hinges on farmers' willingness to adopt protective practices.In regions like Golestan Province—one of Iran's key agricultural hubs—this willingness remains critically low,despite alarming rates of soil erosion that threaten both livelihoods and long-term productivity. This study set out to identify and analyze the barriers that prevent farmers in Golestan from embracing soil conservation measures.A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2024 among 380 farmers across four counties—Gorgan, Kalaleh, Gonbad Kavous, and Aliabad—using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were applied to make sense of the data.The results showed that the overall level of adoption fell below the midpoint of the measurement scale, indicating a clear gap between awareness and action. Factor analysis uncovered five distinct barriers, which together accounted for just over 61% of the total variance:financial and capital constraints (20.03%)emerged as the most dominant hurdle, followed by infrastructural and input limitations (14.19%),structural and land-related issues (10.53%),institutional and knowledge deficits (8.70%),and finally, psychological and behavioral resistance (7.56%).These findings point to a complex,multi-layered challenge—one that cannot be addressed through isolated interventions.Rather,what is needed is a coherent policy package that combines improved access to credit,targeted subsidies,stronger extension services,hands-on training,and risk mitigation mechanisms such as insurance schemes.By addressing these barriers in an integrated manner,policymakers and practitioners can create the conditions under which conservation agriculture ceases to be an ideal and becomes a practical,accessible choice for farmers.