Jared Moelaart & Marc Meltzer
Link: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-resources-environment/conservation-programs/
The USDA’s conservation programs were developed in order to assist the agricultural workforce in efforts to enhance ‘environmental performance’ (or the capacity of the natural environment to facilitate human needs) in regards to soil health, water and air quality, wildlife habitat, and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Under the 2018 Farm Act, federal funding for the USDA’s conservation programs was allocated $29.5 billion, an increase of $560 million from provisions of the 2014 Farm Act. Moreover, conservation compliance was also established to help farmers remain eligible for the benefits of these programs, which include crop insurance, payments/subsidies, disaster assistance, and loan credit. After researching the USDA’s conservation programs, our team will propose then address the following research question(s): What are the primary goals and purposes of the five major USDA conservation programs? How has the 2018 Farm Act affected spending for conservation programs? What political strategies does the USDA employ in order to optimize the environmental performance of conservation programs?
Foremost, there are five major conservation programs that are incentivised by the Economic Research Service (ERS) - each with a specific goal and purpose related to environmental conservation. For example, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides 10-15 year contracts that remove land from agricultural production, which allows for significant land restoration during this period. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides long-term or permanent easements for agricultural lands in order to protect against commercial and residential development. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial assistance for farmers who adopt conservation practices on their land - including nutrient management, conservation tillage, cover-cropping, and filter strips. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) provides financial assistance to farmers whom are committed to improving the environmental performance of agricultural and forest lands through continuous stewardship. Lastly, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) provides coordination and assistance between farmers and other partners (municipal and non-profit) who are working to address agricultural problems on a regional scale.
The USDA’s five major conservation programs share a common goal of enhancing environmental performance through advancing sustainable farming practices. The role of ‘working land programs,’ s uch as EQIP and CSP, were established to provide financial and conservation assistance to agricultural producers who are looking to adopt, install, and maintain conservation practices on land that is already in production. Working lands programs receive nearly half (53%) of funding for all federal conservation programs under the 2018 Farm Act; the CRP receives the next largest share of federal funding (~30%); the ACEP receives the 3rd largest share (~12%); and the RCPP receives the smallest share (~8%). The USDA also utilizes particular design-related strategies that are intended to increase the cost-effectiveness of conservation programs - including incentivizing, targeting, auctioning, and contracting. Further research is needed to optimize the cost effectiveness of these conservation policies and programs, which could potentially be determined by ranking each of the conservation programs on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI).
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