Farmer perspectives on ecosystems service management, land use targeting and the future of Cornbelt agriculture

Abstract

What kind of perspectives do Iowa farmers have on targeted conservation?A Most of the participating farmers recognized the importance of producing multiple benefi ts (or at least minimizing "bads" such as erosion) but lacked broad-scope information (e.g., nature of various problems and, in turn, what specifi cally to do about them in a low-cost way). There was a tacit acceptance of a targeted approach to conservation, yet considerable uncertainty exists regarding the cost, broad management consequences and the availability of incentives. Incentives that are independent of strict policy initiatives (e.g., driven by the NRCS) may be required to engender more autonomous application of enhanced, outcome-based conservation management that is aligned with targeted conservation; such incentives may well be in the realm of environmental markets and/or Payment for Ecosystem Service opportunities.