Conservation Effects Assessment Project

Project Description

USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service is partnering with Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Farm Service Agency (FSA) and other agencies to conduct a national assessment of environmental benefits and effects of 2002 Farm Bill programs. The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) will study the benefits of most conservation practices implemented through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, Conservation Reserve Program and NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance. This project will evaluate conservation practices and management systems related to nutrient, manure, and pest management, buffer systems, tillage, irrigation, and drainage practices, as well as wildlife habitat establishment, and wetland protection and restoration. 

CEAP will provide the farming community, general public, legislators and others with a scientific accounting of environmental benefits achieved through conservation programs.

Two Components of CEAP

The national assessment provides estimates of conservation benefits at the national scale for annual reporting. The watershed studies provide more detailed assessments in a few selected watersheds, provide a framework for evaluating and improving the performance of the national assessment models, and allow for additional research on the effects of conservation practices for different resource characteristics such as climate, terrain, land use, and soils. The national assessment will be conducted using the National Resources Inventory (NRI) as the sampling base for estimating the environmental benefits of conservation practices. NASS is conducting farmer surveys relative to cropland fields containing NRI sample points and gathering information regarding farm-field level land management and data on conservation practices for these fields. FSA and NRCS are gathering information on applications of conservation practices and program participation.  This information will be used in physical process models to estimate the loss of materials from farm fields, accumulation of soil carbon, and water quality benefits.

Watershed studies will be conducted to improve the performance of the national assessment models and to demonstrate that more specific benefits can be identified and measured when assessed at a finer scale. Three categories of watersheds will be selected:

1. ARS research watersheds where conservation effects research projects are progressing.
2. Strategic watersheds where on-going research can demonstrate the environmental benefits of conservation programs.
3. Watersheds selected through competitive grants administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).

More Information

Secretary Announces USDA To Assess Environmental Benefits of Conservation Programs

These documents require Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat.

Measuring Environmental Benefits of Conservation Practices: The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (paper), February 2004 (95 KB)

Farm Survey Questionnaire:

Conservation Effects Assessment Project, Winter 2003 (155 KB)
National Resources Inventory Conservation Effects Assessment Project  (brochure), October 2003 (950 KB)

For more information about Agricultural Research Service watershed projects, visit www.ars.usda.gov.  Click on “Research” on the left side of your screen.  Select “Research Projects” on the left side of the screen.  This will bring up a Search Page.  Type in CEAP in the box next to “Criteria.”   The box next to the word “in” should state “All Fields.”   Click "Go."  This will bring up the ARS CEAP projects nationwide.

Project Contact

Carl Myers, Conservation Effects Assessment Project Team Leader, 202-205-5513

Last Updated 4/9/2004

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