SWOF 2022 Farmer Survey Results

Farmer focus and transparency are two of the core operating tenets of Soil and Water Outcomes Fund. We work diligently to clearly communicate about program goals and policies, to encourage two-way dialogue with our farmer partners, and to take responsibility for addressing issues when they arise.

To that end, each year we send a survey to our participating farmers, asking for their input about our program—from recruitment and enrollment to verification, monitoring, and payment. Our goal is to understand where our farmer partners encounter challenges, what’s working for them, and what they want to see in the future from the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund.

Here are a few of the lessons we gleaned from the survey that closed in December 2022.

Between our 2021 and 2022 survey, our rating for enrollment support increased, indicating that the changes our conservation agronomists and technical team made to provide more hands-on enrollment guidance had the desired impact. We heard our partners’ challenges and rose to meet them.

We’ve consistently heard from participants that our practice of providing a 50% up-front payment makes a huge difference. This year, that practice saw an even stronger approval rating, further reiterating the value of this facet of our program.

We also saw an increase in respondents who said they would recommend SWOF to a fellow farmer, and a strong preference for 1-year contracts - our current practice - instead of a 5-year contract with annual reviews.

We were incredibly pleased to see that 100% of this year’s respondents indicated they were either leaning towards or fully committed to participating in the program for another year.

The primary reasons given for this drive to re-enroll revolved around our personalized, hands-on support and quantifiable environmental outcomes.

Lastly, 55% of participating farmers report they would not have implemented conservation agriculture practices on their acres if they did receive support from the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund. This represents significant new practice adoption driven by our program.

We’re grateful to all the participants who took the time to fill out this year’s survey and we’re always available to answer any questions or address any concerns you have. We look forward to another year of partnership and growth.