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Cost-Effective Targeting for Reducing Soil Erosion in a Large Agricultural Watershed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Craig M. Smith ,
Jeffrey R. Williams ,
Amirpouyan Nejadhashemi ,
Sean A. Woznicki  and
John C. Leatherman
Craig M. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas
Jeffrey R. Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Amirpouyan Nejadhashemi
Affiliation:
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
Sean A. Woznicki
Affiliation:
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
John C. Leatherman
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
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Abstract

Erosion of agricultural croplands is a significant contributor of sedimentation to reservoirs. Here, physiographic and economic models for a large agricultural watershed (2377 square miles with 27 subwatersheds) are integrated for the reduction of sedimentation of one Midwestern reservoir. Sediment reduction and the cost-effectiveness of three agricultural best management practices (no-till, filter strip, and permanent vegetation) implementation were considered under three modeling scenarios: random assignment; the globally most cost-effective approach; and a cost-effective targeting approach. This study demonstrates how physiographic and economic data can be harnessed to yield readily comprehendible cost-effective targeting maps. Cost-effective targeting may be preferable to watershed managers for its “user-friendliness” without too great a sacrifice of the globally most cost-efficient solution.

Keywords

cost-effective targetingcropland best management practicesreservoir sedimentationwatershed modelQ15Q25Q53
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 46 , Issue 4 , November 2014 , pp. 509 - 526
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2014

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