A Social Science Assessment of Conservation Practices in the Red River Basin of Minnesota

Abstract

This report describes a social science assessment of conservation practices conducted in the Red River Basin, Minnesota. The study was conducted by the Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota in collaboration with the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, University of Minnesota. The overarching goal of the study was to provide a science-based approach to understanding and promoting conservation practices in the Red River Basin. The specific study objectives were to (1) identify determinants of conservation practice adoption among agricultural producers in the Red River Basin, (2) better understand how conservation practices and determinants of adoption vary across subwatershed populations within the Red River basin (e.g., geographically, demographically, socially), and (3) to offer strategies for policy-makers, resource professionals and other local actors to best design and promote water resource programs that are ecologically, hydrologically, and socially relevant and responsive to changing conditions.