The Role of Education in Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Policy

Marc O. Ribaudo, Richad D. Horan

Elsewhere No. (0002), November 1999

Education is often used to provide agricultural producers with information on how to operate more efficiently with current technologies, or with information on profitable new technologies that generate less pollution. When education is successful, it provides a win-win solution where both producers and the environment benefit. While such win-win solutions are attractive, this article describes a simple economic framework to show that education cannot be considered a strong tool for water quality protection.

Keywords: Water quality, agriculture, nonpoint source, education, pollution control, net returns, economics, Economic Research Service, ERS, USDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Updated date: November 1999