Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators: Overview of Conservation Programs and Expenditures
Ralph Heimlich
No. (AH722) ,
August 2000
A range of policy tools or instruments exist to encourage or compel adoption of conservation and environmental
practices. Federal government programs for natural resources and the environment based on these policy tools have
evolved and expanded over the years. USDA has historically focused on some of these instruments in conservation programs intended to benefit natural resources and the environment affected by agriculture, and ignored others. Older programs discontinued in the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 phased down as new programs were implemented, while other programs extended by the Act continued. In 1998, USDA's conservation program expenditures represented a quarter of total Federal conservation and environmental spending. Over half of USDA's conservation expenditures were for rental or easement payments on lands in conserving uses, while expenditures for technical assistance and cost-sharing were a third of the total.
Keywords: conservation policy, soil erosion, wetlands, water quality, wildlife, agriculture, expenditures, conservation practices, ERS, USDA
In this series ... Reports are
in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Chapter 6.1: Overview of Conservation Programs and Expenditures, 630 kb.
Contents
- Policy Tools for Conservation
- USDA Conservation Programs Since 1996
- Land Retirement and Farmland Protection
- Cost Sharing and Technical Assistance
- Subsidies for Conservation Investment and Public Works
- Education, Data, and Research
- USDA Conservation Program Expenditures
- USDA Expenditures Related to Other Federal Programs
- USDA Expenditures on Different Conservation Policy Approaches
- EQIP and ACP Expenditures
See other chapters in the Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators series.
Updated date: August 24, 2000
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