Soil Conservation Districts

A number of States have passed soil conservation district laws which enable the farmer and society to cooperate to control accelerated soil erosion. Early in 1936 the Department of Agriculture reached the conclusion that while soil conservation demonstrations could point the way, the States must provide adequate legal means of spreading tested soil conservation practices to all land suffering from erosion, if the problem is to be solved. The purpose of this publication is to discuss how the Department of Agriculture may cooperate with farmers through the mechanism provided by this State legislation.

This publication has tried to indicate how the district idea works out as it moves from theory to practice, from paper to the land. Many of the other districts show as much progress as is here revealed in the two examples. When a considerable number of the recently organized districts can get into action, in full stride, we shall be immeasurably nearer the day when the forces of repair strike a balance with the forces of destruction.