Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Economic Impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on Households and Counties

博士论文研究：保护储备计划对家庭和县的经济影响

• 批准号: 0503339
• 负责人: Lisa M. Harrington
• 金额: $ 0.99万
• 依托单位: Kansas State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-03-01 至 2007-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0503339&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Economic; Impact

American agriculture, although highly productive, is associated with some serious environmental consequences, such as soil erosion, impaired water quality, and loss of wildlife habitat. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a federal program designed to reduce environmental consequences of agriculture by encouraging farmers to convert highly erodible farmland into permanent or semi-permanent vegetative cover. In exchange for a ten-year commitment, farmers receive a subsidy payment and cost-share assistance to help establish the vegetative cover. The Conservation Reserve Program has received much attention on environmental grounds, but also has potential effects that have not been investigated previously. Farmers often use federal support programs to mitigate economic uncertainty and contribute to the survival of the farm unit. Because of spatial variability of CRP enrollment, there are economic consequences at various spatial scales. This study will examine how the program affects households in non-metropolitan counties in the central Great Plains. A mailed survey will elicit farmers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the CRP, importance of the subsidies on households, impact on households and communities, obstacles to enrollment, and changes in employment and shopping patterns. A smaller sample of farmers, as well as federal land management professionals, also will be interviewed to develop further insights into the economic effects of the Conservation Reserve Program. The researchers will examine how benefits and consequences vary spatially within the central Great Plains.The success of a voluntary program like the Conservation Reserve Program depends upon the participation of individual landowners. This project will provide valuable insight into the participants' perceptions of the program as well as the impact of the program on rural landowners' households and communities. By understanding how the program benefits and challenges its participants, policymakers will have more of the needed information to assess the multiple effects of such federal environmental and farm support programs. This will aid in further development of effective, efficient, and equitable federal policies toward multiple goals supporting the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of rural America.

美国农业虽然产量很高，但也伴随着一些严重的环境后果，如土壤侵蚀、水质受损和野生动物栖息地的丧失。 保护区计划（CRP）是一项联邦计划，旨在通过鼓励农民将高度易受侵蚀的农田转变为永久或半永久性植被覆盖来减少农业对环境的影响。 作为对十年承诺的交换，农民获得补贴和成本分摊援助，以帮助建立植被。 保护区计划在环境方面受到了很大的关注，但也有以前没有调查过的潜在影响。 农民经常利用联邦支持计划来减轻经济的不确定性，并为农场单位的生存做出贡献。 由于CRP入组的空间变异性，在不同的空间尺度上会产生经济后果。 这项研究将探讨该计划如何影响大平原中部非大都市县的家庭。 一项邮寄的调查将了解农民对农村改革方案的有效性、补贴对家庭的重要性、对家庭和社区的影响、入学障碍以及就业和购物模式的变化的看法。 一个较小的农民样本，以及联邦土地管理专业人员，也将接受采访，以进一步了解保护区计划的经济影响。 研究人员将研究大平原中部的利益和后果在空间上是如何变化的。像保护区计划这样的自愿计划的成功取决于个人土地所有者的参与。 该项目将提供有价值的洞察力，以了解参与者对该方案的看法以及该方案对农村土地所有者家庭和社区的影响。 通过了解该计划如何使其参与者受益和面临挑战，政策制定者将拥有更多所需的信息，以评估此类联邦环境和农业支持计划的多重影响。 这将有助于进一步制定有效、高效和公平的联邦政策，以实现支持美国农村环境、经济和社会可持续发展的多个目标。