Cost-Effective Targeting for Reducing Soil Erosion in a Large Agricultural Watershed

Craig M. Smith, Jeffrey R. Williams, Amirpouyan Nejadhashemi, Sean A. Woznicki and John C. Leatherman

Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 2014, vol. 46, issue 4, 17

Abstract: Erosion of agricultural croplands is a significant contributor of sedimentation to reservoirs. Here, physiographic and economic models for a large agricultural watershed (2377 square miles with 27 subwatersheds) are integrated for the reduction of sedimentation of one Midwestern reservoir. Sediment reduction and the cost-effectiveness of three agricultural best management practices (no-till, filter strip, and permanent vegetation) implementation were considered under three modeling scenarios: random assignment; the globally most cost- effective approach; and a cost-effective targeting approach. This study demonstrates how physiographic and economic data can be harnessed to yield readily comprehendible cost-effective targeting maps. Cost-effective targeting may be preferable to watershed managers for its ‘‘user-friendliness’’ without too great a sacrifice of the globally most cost-efficient solution.

Keywords: Agribusiness; Environmental Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:joaaec:189140

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.189140

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