A review of farm-based soil conservation research and development

Accelerated efforts to conserve soil and water at the farm level are essential if programs such as the Soil and Water Environmental Enhancement Program (SWEEP) are to achieve their goals of improving water quality and agricultural productivity in Southwestern Ontario. In light of these concerns, the Technology and Evaluation (TED) componentof SWEEP initiated this study to: provide comprehensive information on conservation practices being tested and adopted in Ontario by farm operators experienced inconservation research and development, determine the reasons for choice of conservation technologies or practices within the context of particular management systems, to identify conservation problems that the TED program should subsequently address in its research program, and identify leaders in on-farm conservation who have been providing and/or are willing to provide a leadership role in technology transfer.