Facilitating the Development of Performance-based Incentives for Agricultural Pollution Control

This project will provide a multi-tiered education, outreach, and facilitation program that will plant the seeds of performance-based incentives in each region of the U.S. and provide the fertilizer (pun intended) to help develop specific recommendations and pilot projects that will serve as regional demonstrations of the PEPA approach. To plant the seeds, this project will reach out to stakeholders, water quality specialists, agency personnel, and policy-makers to enhance the understanding of performance-based policy approaches for agricultural pollution control across the nation. To fertilize, we will create, distribute, and facilitate the necessary modules and processes for developing working pilots of performance-based incentives at the watershed level. A National Advisory Team on Performance-based Environmental Policies for Agriculture will be assembled. This team will serve several functions, including brain trust on the theoretical underpinnings and necessary conditions for success, as well as envoys to interested state and local groups around the nation.