IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/jenpmg/v52y2009i5p575-592.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Science, economics and the design of agricultural conservation programmes in the US

Author

Listed:
  • Madhu Khanna
  • Amy Ando

Abstract

Conservation programmes in the US have emphasised retirement of land from crop production as a mechanism for achieving multiple environmental benefits. Several features of these programmes, such as their eligibility criteria, participation incentives and length of contract, influence the performance of these programmes and their ease of implementation. The design of these programmes has evolved over time in an effort to increase environmental benefits while lowering costs. This paper reviews the key features of land retirement programmes in the US and their implications for programme effectiveness. In particular, it examines the potential benefits from spatial targeting of programme participants, linking contract length to the ecological services being targeted and relying more on science-based models for improving programme outcomes. Targeted land management focuses conservation practices on those portions of the landscape where they will achieve the greatest gains in environmental quality using limited programme budgets. The scientific basis for targeting conservation efforts is improving through better understanding of ecological and hydrological processes; however, better guidelines need to be developed to incorporate this understanding in developing decision support tools that local programme administrators can use effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Madhu Khanna & Amy Ando, 2009. "Science, economics and the design of agricultural conservation programmes in the US," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(5), pages 575-592.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:52:y:2009:i:5:p:575-592
    DOI: 10.1080/09640560902958115
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09640560902958115
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/09640560902958115?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ragot, Lionel & Schubert, Katheline, 2008. "The optimal carbon sequestration in agricultural soils: Do the dynamics of the physical process matter?," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 3847-3865, December.
    2. Chen, Xiaoxuan & Ando, Amy Whritenour, 2006. "Optimal Contract Length for Voluntary Land Conservation Programs," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21259, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    3. Claassen, Roger & Hansen, LeRoy T. & Peters, Mark & Breneman, Vincent E. & Weinberg, Marca & Cattaneo, Andrea & Feather, Peter & Gadsby, Dwight M. & Hellerstein, Daniel & Hopkins, Jeffrey W. & Johnsto, 2001. "Agri-Environmental Policy at the Crossroads: Guideposts on a Changing Landscape," Agricultural Economic Reports 33983, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Valle, Haydn & Capon, Timothy & Harris, Michael & Reeson, Andrew, 2012. "Coordination and Strategic Behaviour in Landscape Auctions," 2012 Conference (56th), February 7-10, 2012, Fremantle, Australia 124466, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    2. Cheu, Sungmin & Gammans, Matthew, 2023. "The Effect of Ethanol Capacity on Cover Crop Use in the Midwest," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335819, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Russell, Noel P. & Sauer, Johannes, 2012. "Beneficial selection and the efficient procurement of ecosystem services," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124894, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Polyakov, Maksym & Dempster, Fiona & Park, Geoff & Pannell, David J., 2023. "Joining the dots versus growing the blobs: Evaluating spatial targeting strategies for ecological restoration," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    5. Del Rossi, Gemma & Hecht, Jory S. & Zia, Asim, 2021. "A mixed-methods analysis for improving farmer participation in agri-environmental payments for ecosystem services in Vermont, USA," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    6. Liu, M. & Huang, G.H. & Liao, R.F. & Li, Y.P. & Xie, Y.L., 2013. "Fuzzy two-stage non-point source pollution management model for agricultural systems—A case study for the Lake Tai Basin, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 27-41.
    7. Wätzold, Frank & Drechsler, Martin, 2014. "Agglomeration payment, agglomeration bonus or homogeneous payment?," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 85-101.
    8. Agata Spaziante & Carlo Rega & Mirko Carbone, 2013. "Spatial Analysis of Agri-environmental Measures for the SEA of Rural Development Programmes," SCIENZE REGIONALI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(2), pages 93-115.
    9. Sharma, Bijay P. & Cho, Seong-Hoon, 2021. "Analyzing how forest-based amenity values and carbon storage benefits affect spatial targeting for conservation investment," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    10. David Evans & Andrew Reeson, 2022. "The Performance of a Repeated Discriminatory Price Auction for Ecosystem Services," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 81(4), pages 787-806, April.
    11. Drechsler, Martin & Grimm, Volker, 2022. "Land-use hysteresis triggered by staggered payment schemes for more permanent biodiversity conservation," MPRA Paper 110361, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Meyer, Claas & Chen, Cheng & Matzdorf, Bettina, 2018. "Qualitative comparative institutional analysis of environmental governance: Implications from research on payments for ecosystem services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 34(PB), pages 169-180.
    13. Lennox, Gareth D. & Armsworth, Paul R., 2011. "Suitability of short or long conservation contracts under ecological and socio-economic uncertainty," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(15), pages 2856-2866.
    14. Russell, Noel P. & Sauer, Johannes, 2012. "Efficient Procurement of Ecosystem Services – Adverse versus Beneficial Selection," 86th Annual Conference, April 16-18, 2012, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 134988, Agricultural Economics Society.
    15. Holmes, William B., 2017. "Environmental services auctions under regulatory threat," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 584-591.
    16. Messer, Kent D. & Duke, Joshua M. & Lynch, Lori & Li, Tongzhe, 2017. "When Does Public Information Undermine the Efficiency of Reverse Auctions for the Purchase of Ecosystem Services?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 212-226.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hongli Feng & Catherine L. Kling & Lyubov A. Kurkalova & Silvia Secchi & Philip W. Gassman, 2005. "The Conservation Reserve Program in the Presence of a Working Land Alternative: Implications for Environmental Quality, Program Participation, and Income Transfer," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 87(5), pages 1231-1238.
    2. Atwood, Jay D. & Knight, Lynn & Cattaneo, Andrea & Smith, Peter F., 2003. "Benefit Cost Analysis Of The 2002 Eqip Farm Bill Provisions," 2003 Annual meeting, July 27-30, Montreal, Canada 21992, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    3. Camacho, Carmen & Pérez-Barahona, Agustín, 2015. "Land use dynamics and the environment," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 96-118.
    4. Johansson, Robert & Peters, Mark & House, Robert, 2007. "Regional Environment and Agriculture Programming Model," Technical Bulletins 184314, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    5. Neuman, Amber D. & Belcher, Ken W., 2011. "The contribution of carbon-based payments to wetland conservation compensation on agricultural landscapes," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(1), pages 75-81, January.
    6. Erickson, Kenneth W. & Hoppe, Robert A. & Dubman, Robert W., 2002. "The Structure, Performance, And Sustainability Of Agriculture In The Mountain Region," 2002 Annual Meeting, July 28-31, 2002, Long Beach, California 36541, Western Agricultural Economics Association.
    7. Deepa Pradhan & Tihomir Ancev & Ross Drynan & Michael Harris, 2011. "Management of Water Reservoirs (Embungs) in West Timor, Indonesia," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(1), pages 339-356, January.
    8. Mireille Chiroleu-Assouline & Sébastien Roussel, 2010. "Contract Design to Sequester Carbon in Agricultural Soils," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 10060, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    9. Isik, Murat, 2005. "A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Conservation Reserve Program Participation under Uncertainty," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19264, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    10. Eric Asare & Lloyd‐Smith Patrick & Belcher Kenneth, 2022. "Spatially explicit modeling of wetland conservation costs in Canadian agricultural landscapes," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 70(1), pages 5-19, March.
    11. Colyer, Dale, 2004. "Environmental Regulations and Agricultural Competitiveness," Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy, Estey Centre for Law and Economics in International Trade, vol. 5(1), pages 1-17.
    12. Fleming, Ronald A. & Clark, Nathan & Skees, Jerry R., 2003. "Investigating The Relationship Between Yield Risk And Agri-Environmental Indicators," 2003 Annual meeting, July 27-30, Montreal, Canada 21984, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    13. Sullivan, Patrick & Hellerstein, Daniel & Hansen, LeRoy T. & Johansson, Robert C. & Koenig, Steven R. & Lubowski, Ruben N. & McBride, William D. & McGranahan, David A. & Roberts, Michael J. & Vogel, S, 2004. "The Conservation Reserve Program: Economic Implications for Rural America," Agricultural Economic Reports 33987, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    14. Feng, Hongli, 2007. "Green payments and dual policy goals," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 323-335, November.
    15. Ayong Le Kama, Alain & Fodha, Mouez & Lafforgue, Gilles, 2009. "Optimal Carbon Capture and Storage Policies," TSE Working Papers 09-095, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    16. Wu, JunJie & Weber, Bruce, 2012. "Implications of a Reduced Conservation Reserve Program," C-FARE Reports 156625, Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE).
    17. Ribaudo, Marc O. & Heimlich, Ralph & Peters, Mark, 2005. "Nitrogen sources and Gulf hypoxia: potential for environmental credit trading," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 159-168, January.
    18. Caffey, Rex H., 2003. "A Case For Subvention Of Private Landowners In The Louisiana Coastal Zone," 2003 Annual Meeting, February 1-5, 2003, Mobile, Alabama 35045, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    19. Fernández-Getino, A.P. & Alonso-Prados, J.L. & Santín-Montanyá, M.I., 2018. "Challenges and prospects in connectivity analysis in agricultural systems: Actions to implement policies on land management and carbon storage at EU level," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 146-159.
    20. Bluffstone, R. & Coulston, J. & Haight, R.G. & Kline, J. & Polasky, S. & Wear, D.N. & Zook, K., 2017. "Estimated Values of Carbon Sequestration Resulting from Forest Management Scenarios," C-FARE Reports 260680, Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:52:y:2009:i:5:p:575-592. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CJEP20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.