Rating sustainability: An opinion survey of national conservation practices funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Excerpt

The US government continues to expand the suite of programs and funding available to farmers who produce agricultural products in a manner consistent with environmental goals such as clean water, stable soil, and ample wildlife habitat. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is one of the most prominent examples of such programs due to its growing budget and scope. EQIP is a voluntary program that provides cost-share, incentive payments and technical assistance for farmers who institute conservation practices that aim “to promote agricultural production, forest management and environmental quality as compatible goals, and to optimize environmental benefits” (US House 1996). In contrast to USDA land retirement programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the premise of EQIP is to keep farmland in agricultural production with conservation integrated throughout a farm's working operation.

Authorized by US Congress through the consolidation and restructuring of existing programs during the 1996 farm bill, EQIP is a mandatory funded program envisioned to provide “one-stop” conservation shopping for farmers. Since 1996, the role of EQIP within agricultural policy has continued to expand as evidenced by its favorable funding increases. EQIP funding for FY 1996 was authorized…