Soil Erosion as a Community Issue: Public Perceptions of Off-Site Impacts

• Published in: Society & natural resources Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 67 - 76
• Main Authors: Korsching, Peter F, Hoiberg, Eric O, Bultena, Gordon L, Padgitt, Steven C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Informa UK Ltd 01-01-2001
• Subjects: Community Action Lake Siltation Off-SITE Impacts Public Interest Soil Conservation
• ISSN: 0894-1920; 1521-0723
• DOI: 10.1080/08941920119877

Research on perceptions of soil erosion and conservation has involved primarily farmers. With off-site impacts being problems of the larger community, however, other sectors of the community also must be included. The literature on community action suggests that in relation to community problems or issues there is no one single public interest to which all will agree. This article examines the differences in perceptions of three community sectors - farmers, agribusiness proprietors, community leaders - of the problems and solutions to reservoir siltation. The three sectors are compared on their perceptions of importance of the lake to the community, the need to solve the siltation problem, who has responsibility for solving the problem, degree of support for different funding alternatives, and effectiveness of possible solutions. Differences found among the three groups support the hypothesis of a lack of a common public interest across different community sectors and provide suggestions for policy and action.