Investing in agricultural conservation: Quantifying and communicating the long-term economic benefits of agroecological management

Commodities

Practices

"Investing in agricultural conservation: Quantifying and communicating the long-term economic benefits of agroecological management"

Over the last 50 years, United States agriculture has become more productive and less profitable than ever, making it increasingly difficult to support farmer livelihoods. To sustain agricultural landscapes, farmers face a duality of going into debt and taking risks when adopting conservation practices (CP). Farmers would benefit from making decisions about CP if they could estimate their long-term investment value using contextually relevant data. Here, I explore when it's valuable to invest in agricultural conservation to support long-term economic benefits for Michigan farmers.

I seek to understand how the long-term use of CP can provide economic benefits to agroecosystems and to communicate these findings to the agricultural community (farmers, scientists, and other stakeholders). I will utilize data from a 35-year-old annual cropping systems experiment located in southwest Michigan to (1) quantify the long-term return-on-investment (ROI) of CP including their response to extreme weather events and (2) use these research findings to engage academic and agricultural audiences. For the analysis, I will use a combination of partial budget analyses, stochastic modeling, and econometric approaches. Throughout the research process, I will incorporate feedback from a Stakeholder Advisory Board made up of local farmers and Michigan State University (MSU) Extension educators. To engage with scientific researchers, regional stakeholders, and partner farmers, I will (1) publish a peer-reviewed scientific article and present this at academic conferences, (2) create an interactive webpage and lead a workshop in partnership with MSU Extension and the Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (KBS-LTAR) experiment, and (3) publish an MSU Extension bulletin summarizing research findings and present this work at conferences, local field days, and a MSU Extension podcast.

Project outcomes focus on supporting farmers. I will conduct economic research applicable to North Central row crop systems, incorporate farmer feedback to improve project relevance, and create outreach materials for farmers. My goal is that more North Central farmers adopt CP that are ecologically and economically beneficial and lead to greater farmer well-being. I will evaluate the impact of this project by quantifying the number of participants reached, resources distributed, and CP adopted. I will use qualitative survey methods to capture knowledge, attitude, and behavioral changes both before and after outreach activities.

The activities from this project will lead to learning and action outcomes for scientists, farmers, and agricultural stakeholders that form the "agricultural community." Together, this community will learn how specific CP (no-till, cover crops, and reduced nutrient inputs) respond to extreme weather events (Aims 1.1, 2.3). Additionally, all three audiences will learn how CP can change net profits over the long term, compared to conventional row crop systems (1.2, 2.3). This project will create space for community dialogue to view CP as a benefit to both ecological quality and economic viability (2.2, 2.3). Finally, conducting this project in collaboration with long-term agricultural experiments (e.g., KBS-LTAR) and MSU Extension will enhance their impact in serving as economic resources for the agricultural community (2.1, 2.3).

Community engagement is intended to lead to impactful outcomes and positive relationships within the agricultural community. By involving farmers and agricultural stakeholders throughout the research project via the Stakeholder Advisory Group and planned workshop with the KBS-LTAR (1.3, 2.3), I can include their feedback and improve the relevance of the research and outreach tools. To facilitate behavior change, farmers can use the interactive webpage to make CP decisions from both an ecological and economic perspective (2.2). Lastly, the MSU Extension bulletin alongside the planned engagement activities will lead to greater CP adoption or improvement of current CP plans (2.3). In the long term, this project intends to increase CP adoption across the North Central region, improve farm profitability, and strengthen relationships within the agricultural community.