Experience, Earthworms and Evidence: Leveraging Farmers' Knowledge Systems to Support Soil Health in Tobago, West Indies

ABSTRACT

Farmer perceptions are central to the adoption of soil health practices, yet empirical evidence from the English‐speaking Caribbean remains limited. This study examines how smallholder farmers in Tobago conceptualise and monitor soil health, emphasising biological indicators and the knowledge systems that underlie on‐farm decision making. A semi‐structured questionnaire was administered to 140 farmers, and responses were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi‐squared tests. Farmers were predominantly male (79%) with 61% over 45 years and most relied on their own knowledge and peer advice to assess soil quality. Age was significantly associated with lime use ( p  = 0.013) and tenure ( p  = 0.001), while education correlated with earthworm observation ( p  = 0.025). Notably, 71% of farmers associated earthworm presence with improved soil function. Framing the findings of the study as components of a farmer knowledge system suggest that soil health monitoring should prioritise simple, visible, low‐cost indicators, translate technical outputs into farmer‐relevant formats and address structural barriers to support sustained adoption.