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Iran is considered as a vulnerable country in terms of erosion and degradation of soil resources. One of the solutions that have been proposed in recent years to solve this crisis is to pay special attention to the behavioral, cognitive, and social dimensions of soil conservation behavior in agricultural development programs in addition to the technical aspects. In this regard, a study with a descriptive-correlational and causal-relational method was conducted to identify the most important factors influencing the soil conservation behavior among the Iranian farmers and agricultural community. To this end, a sample of 120 farmers in Mazandaran Province was selected using stratified random sampling with appropriate assignment. The results showed that environmental consciousness, environmental values, and social pressures have significant impacts on soil conservation behavior of farmers. Finally, using the results and insights gained from this study, six practical suggestions have been proposed to managers and policy-makers towards the better management of agricultural soil resources. Application of each of these suggestions can act as a turning point in the improvement of the status of Iran's agricultural sector in general and soil resources in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the dangers that constantly threatens agricultural sector is soil erosion. The purpose of this study was to investigate and categorize farmers' views on the factors inhibiting the implementation of soil conservation practices in Koohdasht Township, Iran. The study was fulfilled by using descriptive-correlation method. A stratified random sample of 377 farmers was drawn from a population of 19531 farmers in the township, based on Krejcie and Morgan Table for determining sample size from a finite population. The research questionnaire was validated by a panel of faculty members of agricultural extension and education at Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) and found to have sufficient content and face validity. Using a pilot study, internal consistency reliability was demonstrated with satisfactory alpha coefficient (0.73). Descriptive and inferential statistics, i.e., factor analysis, were used to analyze the data. Factor analysis produced four factors: "economic-extension", "ecological-farming", "social-structural", and "organizational-management" which accounted for 49% of the total variance. The factors that emerged suggest the need for some executive measures to overcome the problems inhibiting the implementation of soil conservation practices in future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]