Culture, capital, and contours: Ethnic diversity and the adoption of soil conservation in the strawberry hills of Monterey, Californi

Descriptive results from a survey of ethnically diverse strawberry farmers on erodible lands in California are used to develop a constrained decision-making model of soil conservation adoption. Extensive research over the past 50 years has concentrated on explaining the adoption of soil conservation practices in terms of individual farmer and farm firm characteristics. An expanded approach is proposed in which the ecological and socio-economic context of individual behavior is considered.;The conservation behavior of Anglo, Japanese, and Mexican farmers in the 70 square-mile Elkhorn Slough watershed are first examined in terms of personal experience in the industry, individual farm business characteristics, access to information, and attitudes about farming. The concepts of knowledge systems and normative farm management styles are then introduced as a theoretical framework for understanding the influence of common historical social experiences on an individual's current behavior. The farmers who farm the most erodible soils and who use the least effective conservation systems are predominantly former Mexican migrant laborers. The differences in erosion management are associated with ethnic membership but the variation is fundamentally the result of different financial and social opportunities encountered upon arriving in the area. Lack of access to production credit, berry markets, and technical information constrains many Mexican entrepreneurs. Initial intra-ethnic relations have been strengthened as individuals turn to trusted friends and family to overcome structural obstacles. These social networks also provide a forum for generating and enforcing social norms, trust, and expectations (knowledge systems) and successful attitudes and goals become encoded in management styles. Ethnically distinct conservation behavior primarily represents an adaptive response to structurally constrained opportunities, rather than the expression of inherent cultural variability.;Recognition of the influence of social group membership on behavior challenges the effectiveness of existing one-on-one conservation outreach efforts and cost-share grants. This model of behavior suggests that conservation technologies and outreach programs should be targeted to the unique constraints and aspirations of distinct social groups.