How To Become A Soil Conservationist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a soil conservationist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A Soil Conservationist evaluates the condition of the land and devises methods to promote sustainability, conserve soil and prevent erosion. He/She develops and conducts land surveys to gather information useful in developing sustainable action plans. He/She also develops and ensures the implementation of soil management and conservation practices, like crop rotation, afforestation, or terracing. A soil conservationist monitors conditions and uses engineering manuals and technical guides to create specifications useful in implementing plans. Additionally, you may conduct environmental compliance checks and evaluate annual reports.

Soil conservationists are employed by the government, agriculture corporations, and mining companies. Employers often require a bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences or a related field with at least 5 years of relevant work experience. Applicants must be conversant with the principles and techniques of soil conservation. They also need analytical and communication skills. The salary of soil conservationists varies from $56,925 to $88,258, with an average annual salary of $70,798.

ScoreSoil ConservationistUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,492

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.09%

Asian 1.39%

Black or African American 0.52%

Hispanic or Latino 2.16%

Unknown 2.91%

White 91.92%

Gender

female 50.27%

male 49.73%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a soil conservationist

Explore soil conservationist education requirements

Most common soil conservationist degrees

Bachelor's

81.6 %

Master's

10.3 %

Associate

4.4 %

Start to develop specific soil conservationist skills

Skills	Percentages
Technical Assistance	14.10%
Natural Resources	12.72%
Water Conservation	12.30%
Address Resource	9.43%
Physical Data	9.24%

Complete relevant soil conservationist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New soil conservationists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a soil conservationist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real soil conservationist resumes.

Research soil conservationist duties and responsibilities

Review proposed wetland restoration easement and provide technical recommendations.
Assist with computing design specifications for implementation of conservation practices, and make wetland determination maps.
Co-Authore EIS for non-renewable energy development.

Prepare your soil conservationist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your soil conservationist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a soil conservationist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable soil conservationist resume templates

Build a professional soil conservationist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your soil conservationist resume.