The Role of Information and Education in Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Projects

The Role of Information and Education in Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Projects
The Rural Clean Water Program Experience

Designing an Information and Education Program for an Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Project

Most farm operators are aware of water quality issues, but may not have all of the information they need to minimize agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. For this reason, information and education (I&E) programs are an essential component of any project aimed at reducing NPS pollution.

The information element of any I&E program should be used to share existing knowledge through the distribution of material. The education element, which requires the active participation of the audience, should be used to encourage participants to incorporate new information into behavioral choices that enhance water quality. Although the two I&E program elements have separate goals and functions, they are complementary. Transfer of information should heighten the awareness of water quality issues both within the agricultural community and among the general public, while education should encourage farmers to reduce agricultural NPS pollution through implementation of best management practices (BMPs).

The focus of I&E efforts often changes over the course of a project. Initial efforts develop general awareness of the water quality problem and public support and inform producers about NPS controls and why they should be implemented. Next technical assistance is provided to the farmers in the management and maintenance of the implemented BMPs.

In agricultural NPS pollution control projects, I&E should be directed at a wide range of target audiences: producers, business persons, local government officials, community members, and school children. The overall I&E message should be the same for these groups and should address the following questions. What is NPS pollution? How do agricultural practices cause NPS pollution? What is the water quality problem of concern to the community? Why is it important to solve the water quality problem? What changes in individual and collective behavior or practices will result in a decrease in NPS pollutants in the water body of interest? What are the objectives of the NPS pollution control project? How will these project objectives be met?

Target audiences should be identified during the planning period before project implementation and specific I&E strategies should be developed for each group based on its information needs. Particular I&E activities should then be tailored to each group. Farm operators must be educated about their role in causing NPS water pollution and informed about ways to prevent and solve the problem. Business leaders must be informed about ways in which they can support changes in agricultural practices that will enhance water quality. A better understanding of the sources and causes of NPS pollution can assist local government officials in making a wide range of governmental decisions.

Community members need I&E to be informed citizens and decision makers. Information about the impacts of land use on water quality can enhance citizens' awareness of and willingness to change behaviors that contribute to water quality degradation. Finally, the most lasting way to affect lifetime attitudes is to educate children. Information and education programs for children represent an investment in the future.

A national program that has clearly demonstrated the importance of I&E programs to the successful outcome of agricultural NPS pollution control projects is the Rural Clean Water Program (RCWP) (Gale et al., 1993). The I&E lessons presented below are drawn primarily from the RCWP experience.

The Importance of Information and Education for Producer Participation

The most effective I&E approach to gaining producer participation is one-to-one contact between project personnel and farmers. RCWP projects with successful I&E programs used on-farm contacts between producers and agency or business personnel to gain producer confidence and increase participation. In the South Dakota RCWP project, I&E funds were used to hire a technical planner to work on a one-to-one basis with farmers. His contact with producers resulted in an increase in participation from 6 farms and 2,132 acres before the planner was hired to 92 farms and 29,468 acres within one year after the planner began working with area farmers.

If, however, farmers do not support the objectives of a voluntary NPS pollution control project, one-to-one contact by agency personnel will not be sufficient to change farming practices and motivate farmers to participate in a water quality project. In RCWP projects where producers either did not believe that there was a water quality problem or were not convinced that the water quality problem was caused by agriculture, one-to-one contact was only marginally effective in increasing producer participation.

Results of a survey of farmers who participated in the RCWP projects found that although most producers believed that a water quality problem existed, many did not feel that their farm was contributing to the problem (Gale et al., 1993). I&E programs must both educate producers about water quality issues and assist producers in recognizing the ways in which their farming practices contribute to the problem.

Information is often most successfully transmitted to producers by trusted members of the community. In some RCWP projects, producer participation increased when local community members were employed as I&E specialists. In other RCWP projects, the trusted community member was a county Extension Service or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) (formerly called the Soil Conservation Service) employee who had worked with the producers for years and had gained their trust.

Information and education programs can be effectively conducted by either the Extension Service or NRCS. Both agencies conducted successful I&E outreach programs in the RCWP projects, with the Extension Service taking the lead in most cases.

When several agencies jointly deliver I&E services, it is important that one agency is clearly identified as the lead agency, that personnel of all participating agencies communicate with each other, and that all agencies convey a consistent message to producers and the community. One RCWP project, for example, had a very effective I&E program until the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Extension Service stopped coordinating efforts. Another project never got off the ground, in part because farmers received conflicting messages about the value of the project and the source of the water quality problem from the staffs of two participating agencies.

Information and education can also be effectively delivered by private organizations. A local dairy cooperative representative was an important source of I&E in one RCWP project. In another project, the local fertilizer dealer was instrumental in extending information about fertilizer calibration and rates. Consulting firms that offered integrated pest management services were also used to promote I&E in some RCWP projects.

It is more difficult to extend I&E to some farmers than to others. In general, farmers who participated in the RCWP projects had more assets (land, machinery, and income) and farmed full-time than farmers who were eligible but chose not to participate (Gale et al., 1993). Farmers who had to work off the farm to make ends meet and those with fewer assets were less likely to participate. Specific I&E strategies must be developed to target farmers who are economically more marginal, if NPS pollution is to be significantly reduced.

A variety of techniques should be used to transfer technical information about BMPs. Most of the RCWP projects offered field or farm demonstrations of recommended practices. One project loaned no-till equipment to farmers who wanted to try conservation tillage before purchasing the necessary machinery. Some projects hired nutrient management specialists to assist farmers in utilizing animal manure as a source of fertilizer. Soil and manure testing were provided free of charge as an additional incentive to cooperating farmers.

All available media and forums should be used to extend information about a nonpoint source project to producers. Print media (newsletters and newspaper articles), electronic media (radio and TV), meetings, tours, videos, slide shows, and displays were used in many RCWP projects. Although farm magazines, USDA personnel, and newspaper articles provided the farmers with more information on water quality than the other sources (Gale et al., 1993), a combination of I&E techniques is most likely to be effective in any agricultural NPS pollution control project.

Introducing farmers to less familiar management practices requires a higher level of I&E effort than does education about structural practices. In most RCWP projects, terraces, animal waste management systems, and other structural BMP components were easier to "sell" to farmers than management practices such as soil testing, nutrient and pesticide management, rotational grazing, and conservation tillage. Although more difficult to sell, management practices are generally more cost-effective in reducing NPS pollution than are structural practices. Future agricultural NPS pollution control projects should focus more resources on promoting management practices that minimize NPS pollutants.

A successful I&E program must start in advance of project activities. RCWP project teams that involved producers and community members in planning a project before it started generally had a higher level of support and participation than those projects in which I&E was delayed until after the project was funded and initiated.

Once funding for an agricultural NPS pollution control project ends, I&E efforts must continue to ensure that the BMPs implemented are maintained. Agency personnel found that in several RCWP projects, I&E support to the farmers was just as important after the farmers implemented structures or learned management practices as it was during BMP implementation. For example, in several RCWP projects, farmers who had installed waste lagoons needed to learn how to maintain them effectively. This maintenance required follow-up I&E beyond that originally scheduled as part of the project.

The Role of Information and Education in the Community

The amount and types of I&E that should be extended to a community and to farm operators will vary from project to project, depending on project objectives, and will vary over time within a project. At a minimum, I&E was used in the RCWP projects to inform the community about project objectives and to update citizens on progress. Sometimes I&E was used to educate the community about NPS pollution in general.

Some RCWP projects went beyond general information transfer and educated specific community groups. In one project, contractors responsible for building the animal waste management systems were informed about the project. Better understanding on the part of contractors about the goals and technical requirements of the project resulted in construction of higher quality, more effective waste management systems. In this and another project, bank officials received information about the RCWP project to better understand and evaluate applications for loans to support BMP implementation. As a result, farmers were able to obtain loans more easily. Community groups that are perceived as instrumental for achieving project objectives should be targeted and specific I&E outreach approaches should be designed for these groups.

The Role of Information and Education Activities in Educating Children

One of the most effective ways to influence attitudes and behavior is to educate the next generation. Several RCWP projects specifically included outreach to children. Sometimes information about NPS pollution and the RCWP was delivered through school programs. Other times children were reached through information delivered to particular organizations, such as 4-H clubs. Information and education geared to children has long-range benefits and should be instituted as part of all agricultural NPS pollution control projects.

Key Points for Information and Education

Designing an Information and Education Program

Educate the community about the project and seek widespread input into the project planning process.
Identify the target audiences for I&E.
Determine the I&E strategy for each audience.
Tailor I&E activities and methods to each audience.

Producer Participation
One-to-one contact between producers and I&E specialists is the most effective method to transfer information and increase participation.
In order for one-to-one contact to be effective, land owners must believe there is a water quality problem that needs to be corrected.
Effective educational programs encourage farm operators to accept responsibility for the effects of their farming operations on water quality.
Trusted local community members are often the most effective transmitters of I&E.
I&E programs can be effectively delivered by government agencies.
When I&E is delivered by several agencies, one agency should be designated as the lead agency, agencies must communicate with each other, and all agencies must deliver a uniform message to the producers.
Private sector organizations can also make valuable contributions to I&E efforts.
Farmers with large successful operations and full-time farmers are most easily reached through I&E activities.
Different I&E strategies will have to be devised for more marginal farmers.
Specific services or project support, such as machinery loans, nutrient management plans, and soil testing, should be provided to encourage producer participation and educate farmers about recommended practices and objectives.
I&E programs should use all information delivery methods, even those that may not be the most effective methods (letters, radio spots, newsletters, videos) but which serve as ongoing reminders of project activities.
It is generally easier to motivate farmers to install structural BMPs than to use BMPs that require changes in farm management.
I&E efforts must start in advance of other project activities.
Producers and members of the community should be brought into the project planning process from the very beginning.
I&E efforts must continue after the project ends to ensure that BMPs are continued and maintained.
I&E programs must educate community members about agricultural NPS pollution and methods for controlling such pollution.

Information and Education in the Community
I&E must inform the community about project objectives and progress.
Specific groups within the community who will be instrumental in providing services and financing to project participants should be educated about the project so that they can support project objectives.

Educating the Next Generation
Education of the next generation about water quality has long-term benefits and should be part of the I&E program for any NPS pollution control project.
I&E programs should be developed for presentation in schools and youth organizations.

Reference

Gale, J.A., D.E. Line, D.L. Osmond, S.W. Coffey, J. Spooner, J.A. Arnold, T.J. Hoban, and R.C. Wimberley. 1993. Evaluation of the Experimental Rural Clean Water Program. National Water Quality Evaluation Project, NCSU Water Quality Group, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, (published by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) EPA-841- R-93-005, 559p.

Written by

Deanna L. Osmond and Judith A. Gale

Water Quality Extension Specialists

NCSU Water Quality Group

March 1995

North Carolina
Cooperative Extension Service

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL & LIFE SCIENCES

Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.

This fact sheet is one of a series of Rural Clean Water Program Technology Transfer fact sheets prepared by the NCSU Water Quality Group with support from the Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Cooperative Agreement No. 93-EXCA-3-0241).

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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