| Soil degradation is a serious, ongoing problem in Saskatchewan. Organic farming, which is becoming more common in the province, has been described as beneficial to the soil. The actual practices used by farmers will determine the impact of organic farming. Motivation, problem perception, and technical knowledge may affect soil conservation practice use, and may be related to involvement in organic farming. To explore these ideas, a questionnaire survey was distributed by mail to the members of the known organic certification organizations in Saskatchewan, and to a random sample of Saskatchewan farmers, in January, 1992.;The spatial distribution of organic farmers in Saskatchewan was similar to that of conventional farmers. Adoption of organic farming appeared to be continuing at the time of the study, and appeared to be intensified near some early organic farms. Organic and conventional farmers had similar interest in soil conservation. Organic farmers believed that there was little soil erosion on their land, perhaps because their practices were effective. Personal experience and communication with other farmers were the most useful soil conservation information sources for both conventional and organic farmers. In actual use of soil conservation practices, organic farmers differed from conventional farmers most dramatically in their low use of chemical-related practices and high use of crop rotations to increase soil fertility. Government programs and policies were believed to have little influence on soil conservation practices, but tree-planting programs were recognized as helpful, low prices were considered a serious problem, and changes were desired in programs which affected crop rotations. Suggested government actions to encourage organic farming included help with marketing, and increased research and communication of information on organic farming methods. |
