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Author: Thomas Kevin O'Donnell Publisher: ISBN: Category : Agricultural conservation Languages : en Pages : 344
Book Description
The U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated the Conservation Effects Assessment Project in 2003 to quantify water quality and wildlife benefits of conservation programs funded by the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act. This study examined the effects of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) implemented in the Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed (GCEW) and investigated strategies to target future BMPs. Evaluation of storm events between 1993 and 2006 showed no significant BMP effects on dissolved atrazine and NO3-N losses after 14% of the GCEW had been affected by BMP establishment. Approximately 20 and 4 years of monitoring will be needed before a statistically significant ([alpha]=0.05) 25% reduction in mean dissolved atrazine and nitrate-N can be demonstrated at the GCEW outlet, respectively. A widely used hydrologic model, SWAT, identified fields adjacent to streams with lesser depths to the argillic horizon as the highest risk for atrazine and NO3-N pollutant loss. Twenty two percent and 34% of cropped fields in the GCEW required establishment of vegetative filter strips to reduce dissolved atrazine and NO3-N loads by 25% at the GCEW based on SWAT predictions. A 99% accurate method to quantify soil redoximorphic features (SRFs) was developed using a digital camera and image classification software. Correlation between quantified SRFs and the topographic wetness index was found for one of two GCEW fields, indicating field soil surveys may serve as relatively quick reconnaissance methods to identify sensitive field areas.
Author: Thomas Kevin O'Donnell Publisher: ISBN: Category : Agricultural conservation Languages : en Pages : 344
Book Description
The U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated the Conservation Effects Assessment Project in 2003 to quantify water quality and wildlife benefits of conservation programs funded by the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act. This study examined the effects of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) implemented in the Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed (GCEW) and investigated strategies to target future BMPs. Evaluation of storm events between 1993 and 2006 showed no significant BMP effects on dissolved atrazine and NO3-N losses after 14% of the GCEW had been affected by BMP establishment. Approximately 20 and 4 years of monitoring will be needed before a statistically significant ([alpha]=0.05) 25% reduction in mean dissolved atrazine and nitrate-N can be demonstrated at the GCEW outlet, respectively. A widely used hydrologic model, SWAT, identified fields adjacent to streams with lesser depths to the argillic horizon as the highest risk for atrazine and NO3-N pollutant loss. Twenty two percent and 34% of cropped fields in the GCEW required establishment of vegetative filter strips to reduce dissolved atrazine and NO3-N loads by 25% at the GCEW based on SWAT predictions. A 99% accurate method to quantify soil redoximorphic features (SRFs) was developed using a digital camera and image classification software. Correlation between quantified SRFs and the topographic wetness index was found for one of two GCEW fields, indicating field soil surveys may serve as relatively quick reconnaissance methods to identify sensitive field areas.
Author: Publisher: DIANE Publishing ISBN: 1428920404 Category : Languages : en Pages : 77
Book Description
Budget stress, political change, and heightened global competition are forcing a reexamination of conservation and environmental programs for U.S. agriculture. Questions about reauthorizing the Conservation Reserve Program typify the tradeoffs. Currently, that effort is the major solution to environmental problems related to agriculture. But what lands truly merit long-term retirement for environmental purposes at high cost to taxpayers and export markets? Are less expensive approaches available that save budget expense, allow continued production, and ameliorate other priority environmental problems? This report responds to a bipartisan request from the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee about these issues.
Author: National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Agriculture. Committee on Conservation Needs and Opportunities Publisher: ISBN: Category : Soil conservation Languages : en Pages : 330
Author: Katharina Helming Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media ISBN: 3540786481 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 502
Book Description
There are many reasons why strategic intelligence is required to support policy decisions. These primarily stem from the nature of today's kno- edge society with two contrasting trends. On the one hand, there is a trend of increasing human intelligence in the economic, social and political s- tems. On the other hand, there is a trend towards dissolving certainties about the problems and solutions of today's society. Clearly, more inf- mation does not necessary imply more certainties on how to act. What is more, the same facts are often interpreted in markedly different ways: the same policy relevant information can – and often does – results in confli- ing framing of a problem by different stakeholders. This is mainly due to competing assumptions, rather then because of inconsistent facts. The- fore, it is not surprising that policy-makers are calling for strategic intel- gence to support their understanding of today's challenges, including the relevant aspects of science and technology, their impact and their possible future developments. Over the last 15 years, Europe has rapidly adopted the practice of dev- oping and using Impact Assessment (IA) tools to support decision-making. Formal procedures and guidance for IA are well established within the European Commission and in most EU Member States. The adoption of IA procedures alone, however, does not guarantee that every policy domain is actually using the full potential of these assessment tools in the preparation of policies and legislation.
Author: Abate, Gashaw Tadesse Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst ISBN: Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 52
Book Description
This paper provides a quantitative impact assessment of the community-based integrated natural resources management project (CBINReMP) in the Lake Tana region in Ethiopia during 2011-2019. By promoting greater community participation, the CBINReMP provided support to watershed communities for the restoration of degraded soils and water sources, rehabilitation of forests, as well as in obtaining access to secure land titles and practices for climate change adaptation. The project further provided support towards diversification of incomes in off-farm activities and incentives for women’s empowerment and youth employment. This way the project aimed to support rural livelihoods through improvements in household incomes, dietary diversity, agricultural productivity, and resilience to climatic shocks, among other livelihood objectives. To assess the project’s impacts, the study had to deal with numerous methodological complications owing to as the project’s nature and design. The lack of a proper baseline survey, incomplete information about targeted watershed communities and often lack of clear distinction lines between the project’s interventions and support provided to communities through other mechanisms made it hard to identify the true impact of the CBINReMP. Four additional challenges had to be faced: possible selection biases because of non-random placement (targeting) of the project; self-selection of beneficiaries into receiving the project; possible spatial spill-over effects of project benefits to non-treatment communities, and the project’s phased rollout. A propensity-score matching procedure was adopted to assess the CBINReMP’s impacts by comparing treatment (beneficiary) and control groups outcomes related to the livelihood indicators listed above. This paper discusses how the mentioned complications were addressed to provide a sound assessments of the project’s true impacts. While certain limitations remain, the key finding that can be drawn with confidence is that the CBINReMP had only very limited, quantitatively verifiable impact on rural livelihoods. It seems to have contributed to higher household incomes and some greater dietary diversity, but only where the project managed greater community participation. However, even for those beneficiaries, livelihood conditions had not become significantly more productive, diversified, resilient, or sustainable than those of the comparison group. The paper ends with recommendations on how to avoid methodological obstacles through better design of the M&E framework for multi-intervention, community-based projects.
Author: Jorge A. Delgado Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0891183558 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 400
Book Description
Precision conservation is a reality, and we are moving towards improved effectiveness of conservation practices by accounting for temporal and spatial variability within and off field. This is the first book to cover the application of the principles of precision conservation to target conservation practices across fields and watersheds. It has clearly been established that the 21st century will present enormous challenges, from increased yield demands to climate change. Without improved conservation practices it will not be possible to ensure food security and conservation effectiveness. Readers will appreciate the application of the precision conservation concept to increase conservation effectiveness in a variety of contexts, with a focus on recent advances in technology, methods, and improved results. IN PRESS! This book is being published according to the “Just Published” model, with more chapters to be published online as they are completed.
Author: Cynthia J. Nickerson Publisher: DIANE Publishing ISBN: 1437926614 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 41
Book Description
Beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers make up 40% of all U.S. farms. Some Federal conservation programs contain provisions that encourage participation by such ¿targeted¿ farmers. This report compares the natural resource characteristics, resource issues, and conservation treatment costs on farms operated by targeted farmers with those of other participants. Targeted farmers tend to operate more environmentally sensitive land than other farmers, have different conservation priorities, and receive different levels of payments. The different conservation priorities among types of farmers suggest that if a significantly larger proportion of targeted farmers participate in these programs, the programs¿ economic and environmental outcomes could change. Tables and graphs.
Author: Lisa Akinyemi Publisher: ISBN: Category : Agricultural conservation Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Ecosystem services such as water quality are improved with Conservation Agriculture System (CAS) implementation. CAS consist of multiple conservation practices intentionally utilized to provide combined results over consecutive years based on soil health principles. Soil health principles guide agriculture producer decision-making in selecting multiple conservation practices to maintain organic matter cover over soil, keep a root in the ground year-round, minimize soil disturbance, include plant species diversity, and incorporate livestock for additional biodiversity. While conservation agriculture, decision-making, farmer-first and bottom-up research has been conducted for over 40 years, additional resources currently exist to assist in conservation implementation improvements. With additional resources for conservation implementation, additional pressure exists to include heterogeneous groups of agriculture producers in research related to targeting finances. While the USDA Census does have some information available for assessing conservation agriculture decision-making trends, there is more information needed in transdisciplinary research that can be achieved by selectively interviewing CAS producers. This thesis uses geographical information systems to estimate trends in the USDA Census (CHAPTER I), scheduled phone interviews at the producers convenience (CHAPTER II), a stakeholder analysis adapted to accommodate varying participation from multiple CAS stakeholder representatives (CHAPTER II), the Nutrient Tracking Tool, benefit-cost analysis, and Farm Economic Model for indicative estimates of differentiated productions in the Texas-Oklahoma region (CHAPTER III), and preliminary system dynamic methods. Understanding of interconnected factors that affect agriculture producer’s on-farm decision making has both on-farm and off farm potential impacts. Improving support personnel understanding of producer decision-making can lead to improved funding effectiveness. Then funding effectiveness can improve CAS implementation rates, which can make positive impacts on water quality and other ecosystem service benefits.
Author: Thomas Kevin O'Donnell
Author: Thomas Kevin O'Donnell
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Author: National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Agriculture. Committee on Conservation Needs and Opportunities
Author: Katharina Helming
Author: Abate, Gashaw Tadesse
Author: Jorge A. Delgado
Author: Cynthia J. Nickerson
Author: Lisa Akinyemi