Environmental Conservation Strategies: What Works and What Might Work Better

Abstract

While environmental conservation as a component of agricultural policy dates back to the 1930s, it remained a neglected stepchild until the more recent Farm Bills of 1985, 1990 and 1996. The last three farm bills have spawned massive programs to induce, cajole and force farmers and ranchers to adopt and implement better conservation technologies. These recent strategies have included regulation and targeting in addition to, or combined with, the old standard of buying the cooperation of farmers and ranchers. While some of these programs have been very popular, the actual conservation impacts have often been less spectacular than anticipated. Many of the programs have not been implemented in a way that maximizes society’s environmental objectives. Research, which suggests why these programs were effective or ineffective at altering the behavior of farmers and ranchers, will be reviewed in this chapter. The programs’ impact as conservation tools will be explored. In addition, the potential impacts of the new Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are examined, and some suggestions for alternative conservation strategies that may be more effective and efficient are delineated.