Unleashing the power of connection: How farmers’ emotional connection to soil empowers their soil conservation practices

Soil conservation practices among farmers play a critical role in environmental management. The primary objective of this study was to compare the mediating roles of connection to soil and connection to nature in the relationship between farmers' pro-environmental propensity and their soil conservation practices. This study involved 81 Peruvian farmers who independently manage soil practices on their farms. Data was collected through surveys which incorporated four validated scales: general ecological behavior (as a measure pro-environmental propensity), connection to soil, connection to nature, and soil conservation behavior. The study found that pro-environmental propensity had a relatively large total effect on soil conservation behavior (c = 0.39, 95% CI [0.31, 0.64], p < 0.001). When soil connection and nature connection were introduced as mediators in a parallel mediation model, there was a full mediation effect, i.e., the direct effect was not statistically significant (c’ = 0.15, 95% CI [-0.06, 0.36], p = 0.15). Notably, the indirect effect via soil connection was statistically significant (ab = 0.31, 95% CI [0.17, 0.44], p < 0.001), whereas indirect effect via nature connection was not (ab = −0.08, 95% CI [-0.23, 0.07], p = 0.30). The parallel mediation model remained virtually unchanged when socio-demographic variables (age, income level, educational level, and gender) were controlled. In the study sample, dedication to soil conservation stems from the same motivations as a broader commitment to environmental protection. However, among farmers with similar backgrounds, a connection to soil is required to translate this general pro-environmental tendency into specific soil conservation practices.