Mediterranean farmers’ understandings of ‘good soil management’ and ‘good farmer’ identity in the context of conservation agriculture

Mediterranean agriculture is increasingly threatened by soil degradation and climatechange. Conservation agriculture (CA) is a farming approach characterized byreduced soil disturbance, soil cover, and crop rotation that provides agronomic,economic, and environmental benefits to farmers, but which is not yet widespreadin the Mediterranean region. To investigate the sociocultural aspects of CAadoption, we examined farmers’understandings of‘good soil management’and a‘good farmer’identity. We employed network analysis to visualize and comparefarmers’mental models of these concepts and how they differed according tofarmers’tillage practices. We found that crop rotation is a prominent conceptcognitively tied to fertilizer application, bridging conventional and reduced tillagepractices. CA farmers’mental models of soil management are more complex thanconventional farmers’. Demonstrating productivity and having experience andknowledge were the most prominent aspects of farmers’understanding of a‘goodfarmer’. For CA farmers, this was tied to environmental responsibility andinnovation, whereas for conventional farmers, a set of best practices includingtillage and the use of mineral fertilizers, was valued more highly. CA may competewith held understandings concerning soil management among conventionalfarmers. CA adoption programmes could be better tailored to align with theircultural values.