Pay for Performance: Optimizing public investments in agricultural best management practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Talberth, John; Selman, Mindy; Walker, Sarah; Gray, Erin

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.07.033

Cited by 38 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Other methods have also been applied to estimate FS costs. Talberth et al (2015) reported mean total annualized costs (in 2012 dollars) for grass buffers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to be $314 ha -1 year -1 , including $971 ha -1 for installation, $57 ha -1 year -1 for maintenance, and $128 ha -1 year -1 for land rental. Two studies reported FS costs per unit pollutant reduction (table 3).…”

Section: Cost Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Filter Strip Performance and Function for Improving Water Quality from Agricultural Lands

Douglas-Mankin¹,

Helmers²,

Harmel³

2021

Transactions of the ASABE

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HighlightsFilter strip processes for water pollutant reductions were quantified from 74 studies with almost 300 data points.Regression was significant versus width (sediment, N, P), area ratio (sediment, atrazine), and Ks (N, P, atrazine, alachlor).This review discusses ten functional factors affecting FS efficiency as well as FS monitoring recommendations.Cost-effectiveness was assessed and varies considerably by influent load and treatment effectiveness.Abstract. Filter strips (FSs) are edge-of-field conservation practices commonly implemented to reduce flux of sediment, nutrients, and other constituents from agricultural fields. While various aspects of FS effectiveness have been reviewed, this study provides a comprehensive summary of FS efficiency data for sediment, nutrients, pesticides, and pathogens as part of a special collection focused on agricultural conservation practices. This analysis also fills an important gap by assessing performance-based FS costs and cost-effectiveness. Data from 74 U.S. and international studies with 294 different treatments and 3,050 replications were compiled and analyzed. Results showed that runoff reduction tended to increase with increasing FS width up to about 15 m and that sediment reduction was significantly related to the ratio of FS area to drainage area and to FS width, with reduction tending to increase with increasing width up to about 20 m. Total P reduction was significantly related to FS soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, and total N reduction was significantly related to both saturated hydraulic conductivity and width. Total P and total N reductions both tended to increase with increasing FS width up to about 20 m and with increasing FS slope up to about 10%. Annualized FS costs were estimated to range from $314 to $865 ha-1 year-1 for different FS implementations. A major component of the cost is the opportunity cost of taking land out of production. Costs per unit of sediment retained by FS systems ranged from $10.3 to $18.6 Mg-1. A comprehensive assessment of FS cost-effectiveness (cost:benefit) is needed. Monitoring equipment, approaches, and recommendations are discussed, acknowledging the challenges of implementing field-scale FS studies. This information is critical to guide on-farm and programmatic FS decisions and to increase the scientific understanding of this commonly used agricultural conservation practice. Keywords: Best management practice, Buffer strip, Nonpoint-source pollution, Riparian buffer, Vegetated filter strip.

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Section: Cost Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Filter Strip Performance and Function for Improving Water Quality from Agricultural Lands

Douglas-Mankin¹,

Helmers²,

Harmel³

2021

Transactions of the ASABE

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“…The payment of subsidies for the adoption of measures to reduce pollution may also be conditional on the outcomes. In that respect, Talberth shows in [49] that payment for grass strips under condition of performance is superior, in the sense that it allows to obtain a better reduction of nutrients for the same budget allocation.…”

Section: Nonpoint Source Agricultural Pollutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Instruments to Combat Eutrophication: A Survey

Terreaux¹,

Lescot²

2019

Water and Sustainability

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Eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems is a functional process triggered by excessive nutrient inputs into water courses. It causes disruption to ecosystems, with impacts on associated goods and services, which consequently might not be provided in a sustainable way. These impacts have served to politicize the issue in recent years. In this chapter, we present the main lessons learned from an international literature review on the economic aspects of eutrophication, first with the purpose of managing the problem in France and second in the context of a European research project. This study aims to help public decision-making in the reduction of this water pollution. By analyzing past experiences and the results of recent modeling work, it allows to avoid a number of pitfalls and focus on efficient solutions.

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“…Federal and state governments are investing substantial resources to encourage farmers to adopt best management practices (BMPs) with the goal of reducing nutrient and sediment runoff to waterways (Kreiling, Thoms, & Richardson, 2017;Talberth, Selman, Walker, & Gray, 2015). Often, the primary concern is for water quality in a receiving water body located some distance downstream.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valuing water quality benefits from adopting best management practices: A spatial approach

2020

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We developed a GIS-based tool that values, in a spatially explicit way, the ecosystem services generated by water quality improvements resulting from adoption of agricultural best management practices (BMPs). The tool is calibrated for watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay drainage and includes the benefits from water quality improvements within targeted watersheds, water quality improvements downstream from targeted watersheds, and reductions in pollutant loadings to Chesapeake Bay. The tool is used to investigate specific BMP scenarios adopted within specific watersheds. The results show that (i) BMP adoption generates large positive net benefits to society, with benefit/cost ratios ranging from 22 to 276; (ii) by selecting cost effective BMPs and placing them in the most appropriate places, the cost of meeting pollutant reduction targets would be reduced by 34-71%; and (iii) net benefits from BMP adoption are higher when they are implemented close to or upstream from population centers.

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Pay for Performance: Optimizing public investments in agricultural best management practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Cited by 38 publications

References 17 publications

Review of Filter Strip Performance and Function for Improving Water Quality from Agricultural Lands

Review of Filter Strip Performance and Function for Improving Water Quality from Agricultural Lands

Economic Instruments to Combat Eutrophication: A Survey

Valuing water quality benefits from adopting best management practices: A spatial approach

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