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NCSU Water Quality Group |
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The degree of producer participation necessary to protect or remediate water quality will depend not only on the total number of land users employing BMPs in the watershed, but also on several other factors: the location of the producers' farms in the watershed, the types of BMPs selected, the extent of BMP implementation, and the type and severity of the water quality problem.
The first phase in a nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control project is to accurately identify and clearly document the water quality problem, the specific pollutant(s), and the sources of the pollutant(s). Based on the water quality problem assessment, the critical area (land area or areas contributing disproportionately to the water quality problem) should be identified. High-priority project participants are those producers who farm or raise livestock in the critical area of the watershed.
A primary goal of any voluntary NPS pollution control project is to engage a sufficient number of potential participants in the project. The Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP), a nationally recognized nonpoint source pollution control program conducted between 1981 and 1995, established a target voluntary producer participation rate of 75%. Many valuable lessons were learned from the RCWP about how to recruit and retain participants in voluntary NPS pollution control projects. The information presented in this fact sheet is based on these lessons learned.
Participation in RCWP projects was highly correlated with strong economic indicators, such as comparatively larger total acreage farmed, higher gross farm sales, and greater property and farm equipment values. Producers who were employed off-farm, or who received only part of their income from agriculture, were less likely to participate in NPS pollution control projects than were farmers who worked solely on the farm and earned most of their income from agriculture.
Water quality awareness and attitudes were also important in determining participation rates in the RCWP projects. Producers who were more aware of water pollution (in general, in the specific area, or on individual farms) participated in greater numbers than farmers who were less well informed. Producers who received most of their water quality and conservation information from government agencies and farm magazines were more likely to change agricultural practices that affected water quality than producers who did not receive information from these sources.
Many of the results of the farm operator survey were similar to conclusions of previous studies evaluating factors that influence conservation. Farmers who run large-scale operations, are better educated and more willing to take risks, and have access to government information generally participate at a higher rate in conservation programs than producers without these characteristics. Although farm structure and producer characteristics were important factors in determining which farmers chose to participate in the RCWP projects, external incentives also affected participation.
The primary financial incentive in the RCWP projects was federal cost-share funding. Each producer could receive up to 75% of the cost of each recommended BMP implemented (up to a maximum per farm of $50,000).
The cost-share rate for the Alabama RCWP project was originally set at 60%. Few farmers chose to participate until the cost-share rate was raised to 75%. Participation then increased to 100% of the producers in the critical area.
A significant barrier to implementation of BMPs is poor economic status of producers. The farm operator survey (Gale et al., 1993) found a lower rate of participation among farmers who had relatively lower economic indicators. During the early 1980s, many farmers in Oregon were unable to participate in the Tillamook Bay RCWP project because high interest rates limited cash flow, making it difficult for farmers to pay their portion of the cost of installing BMPs. Another hindrance is the high cost of some BMPs, such as animal waste management systems. For many dairy farmers, the maximum cost-share payment of $50,000 was insufficient to make the construction of animal waste storage units economically feasible.
State or local cost-share assistance was offered in some projects as a supplement to federal cost-share funds. To entice absentee landlords to participate in the RCWP, Tennessee and Kentucky officials added 25% to the federal 75% cost-share rate for seeding alfalfa. Producers also received an additional one-time payment of $75 per acre for converting cropland to pasture. Florida dairy farmers participating in the Lake Okeechobee RCWP project received substantial subsidies from the State of Florida to assist them in installing expensive animal waste management BMP systems.
Strong and effective I&E programs in many of the RCWP projects (for example, Maryland, Alabama, Nebraska, Idaho, Utah, Vermont, Florida, and Oregon) contributed to high producer participation and, consequently, to water quality improvements.
I&E must begin prior to land-based project activities in order to foster a sense of problem and project ownership on the part of the potential project participants. Delaware and Iowa RCWP project personnel reported that both pre-project meetings to discuss the water quality problem and producer involvement in project planning helped develop strong support for and participation in the project by area farmers.
The most effective way to increase producer participation is one-to-one contact between project personnel and farmers.
On-farm demonstrations can be used effectively to educate farmers about new technologies. Producer participation was increased in the Maryland RCWP project through on-farm demonstrations of BMP installation and maintenance.
To control agricultural runoff, producers must implement additional, often new, BMPs. Technical assistance must help participants with new BMPs, whether the BMPs are structural or managerial. In the Oregon RCWP project, Natural Resource Conservation Service personnel had to modify animal waste storage systems for high-rainfall conditions. Extension Service personnel in Pennsylvania developed nutrient management plans for individual farmers and taught them how to implement the plans. These technical assistance efforts resulted in more effective implementation and maintenance of BMPs. Technical assistance also served to strengthen producers' motivation to participate in the project.
Producer participation also depends on farmers valuing the impaired water resource. Because Iowa RCWP project participants valued a recreational lake that was decreasing in size and depth due to sedimentation caused by cropland erosion, they were willing to adopt new agricultural practices.
Environmental regulations, or the threat of regulation, can provide incentives for producers to participate in agricultural NPS pollution control projects. Farmers in the Chesapeake Bay drainage area face possible regulation if voluntary efforts fail to address the NPS pollution problem. As a result, over 50% of the farmers eligible to participate in the Virginia RCWP project were ready to get involved in the project as soon as cost-share funding became available.
The absolute number of participants necessary to reduce pollutants by a stated amount will vary depending on the pollutant, agro-environmental conditions, and the magnitude of the problem. For some situations, almost 100% producer participation may be required to improve the water resource to its designated use. In the Oregon RCWP project, approximately 60 dairies were considered critical at the start of the project. Dairies having the greatest negative impact on water received cost-share funds to implement BMPs first; then other critical farms were added. However, the project goal of a 70% reduction in fecal coliform counts was not being met. Consequently, additional dairies were classified as critical. By the end of the project, BMPs to control dairy runoff had been implemented on 96% of 109 dairies defined as critical and the project's water quality goals were met. The experience of the Oregon, Florida, and Utah RCWP projects indicates that close to 100% participation is necessary in projects where the major source of the pollutants is animal operations.
Other RCWP projects successfully reduced pollutants with lower participation rates. In Idaho, installation of BMP systems on 75% of the critical area farms resulted in a 75% decrease in sediment and a 68% decrease in phosphorus entering Rock Creek, resulting in better habitat for fish.
While the amount of voluntary participation necessary to successfully address agricultural NPS pollution must be determined for each individual watershed, results from the RCWP suggest that an absolute minimum of 75% participation of critical area farmers is necessary.
Many factors interact to determine the ultimate number of producers who participate in a voluntary NPS pollution control project. Financial incentives are extremely helpful in reducing the economic burden of BMP implementation. Environmental regulations, or the threat of regulations, can also increase participation, although they are most often used as a last resort when voluntary measures have failed. Technical assistance is an important means for helping producers select, install, and maintain appropriate BMP systems. I&E is also an important means for achieving adequate participation and helping potential participants understand how their practices may degrade valuable local water resources. Finally, community support is essential for encouraging and sustaining producers throughout the project period.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL & LIFE SCIENCES
Copies of the fact sheet series may be requested from:
Publications, NCSU Water Quality Group, Department of
Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Box 7637, North
Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7637, Email:
wq_puborder@ncsu.edu, Fax: 919-515-7448.
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NCSU Water Quality Group |
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