Summary/Abstract
This report examines current policy challenges and opportunities for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in increasing the adoption of soil health practices. The authors are particularly interested in how the co-benefit of capturing carbon in soils can help motivate the adoption of soil health practices. The research methodology includes seventeen stakeholder interviews with farmers, NRCS staff and partners, and private-sector firms; a literature review; and data analysis. Case studies of Iowa and California are presented with state-specific challenges and opportunities to represent the diversity of agriculture, climate, and political landscape in the US.
The report finds multiple challenges – both systemic and operational – to the adoption of soil health practices. These include prohibitive transaction costs for farmers; limitations of soil and carbon sequestration science; insufficient technical assistance for farmers; a lack of NRCS staff capacity and underutilization of partnerships; and poor targeting and misalignment of owner/renter incentives. The goal of the report is to provide a set of recommendations that NRCS can pursue to overcome both systemic and operational challenges facing farmers and NRCS in increasing the adoption of soil health practices.