Economics of Soil Health

July 27, 2015SWCS Annual MeetingGreensboro, NC

Neil Conklin

Initiated in 2013, Farm Foundation, NFP and the Noble Foundation initiated the Soil Renaissance to advance soil health and make soil health the cornerstone of land use management decisions.

$RESEARCH MEASUREMENT ECONOMICS EDUCATION

Convene the research community to advance soil health.

Incorporate soil health measures into standardized soil testing that is readily available, affordable, and commercially viable.

Quantify the effects of soil health on economic risks and returns.

Reawaken the public to the importance of soil health.

Goal 2. Economics• Quantify the effects of soil health on

economic risks and returns.

• Strategic Objectives: – Evaluate the current state of research on the

economics of soil health and identify key economic data needs.

– Develop comprehensive analysis of returns to soil health investments and their effects on risk.

– Provide producers with information and tools for determining the economic value of soil health management decisions.

Dimensions of The Problem• On the farm

– short run costs and returns– long run effects

• productivity effects• risk and resilience• asset values

• Off the farm– environmental externalities

• air quality• water quality

– winners and losers along the value chain• Policy and soil health

– disincentives under current policies and programs– incentives

The Target

Soil Health Cover CropsNo Till

Research Agenda

• Collecting data (data is not the plural of anecdote)– field and farm level data– environmental externalities

• Farm level decision tools• Policy analyses

Economics of Soil Health WorkshopSeptember 21-22 in Washington, DC

• Collaboration of USDA Economic Research Service and Soil Renaissance

• Bringing economists and scientists together to spur a policy oriented discussion

• http://www.farmfoundation.org/webcontent/Economics-of-Soil-Health-1904.aspx