Lessons Learned from NIFA-CEAP: Continued Conservation

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1 Lessons Learned from NIFA-CEAP: Continued Conservation Even after conservation practices have been adopted, continue to work with farmers on maintenance and sustained use of the practices. Little Bear River (UT CEAP)

2 Lessons Learned from NIFA-CEAP: Working With Farmers Identify farmers attitudes toward agriculture and conservation practices to promote adoption and use. Economic incentives often required for adoption of conservation practices not obviously profitable or fitting with current farming systems Ease of use or management Type of practice structural Conservation practices that have multiple benefits Ability to see the pollutant Threat of regulation Changes in technology Belief system of farmer Age of farmer Family dynamics Land ownership: type and length of lease Additional partners providing resources

3 Lessons Learned from NIFA-CEAP: Working With Farmers Technical assistance to farmers is most effective when delivered by a trusted local contact and is very people intensive. Reduced funding is eroding the ability of NRCS, Extension, and Soil and Water conservation districts to deliver effective programming. Lincoln Lake (AR CEAP)

4 Lessons Learned from NIFA-CEAP: Many Farmers, Many Factors Conservation practice adoption is a multivariate choice and although economics are exceptionally important, there are many other factors that are part of the decisionmaking process. Cannonsville Reservoir (NY CEAP)

5 Land Treatment: Sediment Control Little River (GA CEAP) Erosion control has increased substantially due to technological advances, price and labor pressures, and conservation programs UNTIL recently. Much of the sediment is coming from streambanks and streambeds, not uplands, although reduction in conservation practice use has increased erosion in certain areas of the country.

6 Land Treatment: Nutrient Control Controlling nutrient pollution, especially nitrogen, will continue to be a significant challenge: management practices are harder for farmers greater difficulty implementing practices that control pollutants farmers cannot see farmers use nutrients to reduce risk antagonistic outcomes of conservation practices; practices that reduce sediment may increase nutrients tile drainage is being added much faster than conservation practices can be adopted marginal land transformation climate change may change the timing and duration of rainfall that increases nutrient losses

7 Conclusion Intentional Collaborative Watershed Planning and Implementation IS ESSENTIAL to improve the nation s waters Eagle Creek (IN CEAP) Cheney Lake (KS CEAP)

8 NIFA CEAP Outreach Information USDA NRCS CEAP Website technical/nra/ceap/ws/?&cid=stelprdb Book: Osmond, D., D. Meals, D. Hoag, and M. Arabi How to Build Better Agricultural Conservation Programs to Protect Water Quality: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture Conservation Effects Assessment Project Experience. Soil and Water Conservation Society. Ankeny, IA. Fact Sheets: Slide Set USDA NIFA National Water Quality Conference Proceedings USEPA Webinar: archives/ /archive/

9 NIFA CEAP Team Thanks all the NIFA-CEAP watershed project personnel, key informants, USDA NIFA-CEAP and NRCS-CEAP personnel Our Sponsors Co-Authors Mazdak Arabi Hydrologist Dana Hoag Economist Colorado State University Al Luloff Sociologist Penn State University Deanna Osmond Agronomist & Team Leader NC State University Mark McFarland Water Quality Extension Texas A&M Dan Line Hydrologist NC State University Don Meals Watershed Monitoring & Evaluation Consultant Jean Spooner Statistician NC State University Andrew Sharpley Soil Scientist Univ. of Arkansas Greg Jennings Stream Restoration NC State University

10 Takeaways Doing some more of what we are already doing will not be sufficient Qualitatively different approaches are needed to produce significantly different and necessary results Watershed scale efforts are a combination of science and technical issues with organization and behavioral issues Organization, management and support of adopting change, individually and collectively, are just as important as technical expertise

11 Next Steps Assessment of existing programs, using insights from CEAP evaluation Clear understanding of how change takes place and a methodology for designing projects Commitment to ensuring the capacity to manage projects and support adoption Project management and leadership Farm level Active learning at program and project level Use and validation of new models for organizing and implementing projects

12 Questions