Jennie Popp

Sustainability indices with multiple objectives

Abstract One of the many debates about sustainability centers on how a natural resource stock (e.g. a forest) generates flows of desired human services (such as lumber and recreation). Should resources be sustained as they currently exist or should the services that they provide be sustained? This is a difficult question to address since there is very little quantitative information available. The purpose of this study was to address this question by using information from an empirical study that was able to look at sustainability when there is one output and extend that framework to a multiobjective setting. We then discuss the framework by using a multiobjective resource, the Neuse River in North Carolina. We identified several concepts from the single objective study, including that there are at least three important types of resource stocks, two types of goals, substitutes for natural resources, and a need to consider uncertainty and reversibility. An index of resource quality was used in a production model, which also allowed substitution of manufactured inputs to achieve the sustainability objective over long periods of time. The relationship between resource quality, manufactured inputs and output over time proved critical to meeting sustainability definitions and varied from one resource to another. When we expanded the framework, we found that constructing indices for one resource output might reveal that it is positively or negatively correlated to another output. For example, an index for drinking water might be made better through an indicator that is a positive, or negative, input into another index such as fishability. Sustainability should consider what is being sustained — i.e. stock, flow or something else, and be inclusive enough to account for multiple services, lest governments will under fund conservation (when services are positively correlated) or waste money by competing one objective against another (when they are negatively correlated) — addressing one objective through some policy requires more money in another government program to fix a problem that the first program caused. It should also be dynamic to allow for changes in relationships over time.

Breaking ground A cooperative approach to collecting information on conservation practices from an initially uncooperative population

The cooperation of stakeholders is crucial in watershed evaluations where the necessary and accurate data for scientific analysis are obtainable only through voluntary participation. Furthermore, voluntary stakeholder participation is required for successful post-study adoption of scientific recommendations. To achieve this goal, a collaborative approach must be used, and the mechanism that serves as the intermediary between the stakeholders and the scientists must be efficient, conducive to the smooth exchange of information, and above all properly in place. Although such a collaborative approach may be very time consuming for all involved, it is often necessary to build trust for successful project completion (Sabatier et al. 2005). This article summarizes the process used and successes achieved by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service (UACES) in establishing stakeholder participation and collaborative information exchange as part of a Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) team effort in the Lincoln Lake watershed, Arkansas, a watershed where stakeholders were often leery of participating and sharing information. Such an effort was required for the success of the ongoing evaluation of best management practice (BMP) effectiveness in improving water quality, as well as for factors that influence the adoption of BMPs by farmers. The multidisciplinary…

Use of On-Farm Reservoirs in Rice Production: Results from the MARORA Model

The present article uses the modified Arkansas off-stream reservoir analysis and the environmental policy-integrated climate models to examine the impacts of on-farm reservoirs and tail water recovery systems in conjunction with other best management practices on profitability, water use, and sediment control for rice-soybean farming operations. Results suggest that, under limited water availability conditions, reservoirs and tail water recovery systems can improve profitability, reduce ground water dependence, and reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides off-farm. Although reservoirs may not be profitable under plentiful water conditions, cost-sharing opportunities may make them a viable means of addressing environmental concerns.

The opportunity cost of regulating phosphorus from broiler production in the Illinois River Basin

Abstract The Illinois River Basin in eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas is an example of a region where significant growth in poultry production has been accompanied by water quality problems. The primary concern in the basin is the problem of phosphorus in runoff that is associated with application of litter to crops. Existing data suggest that there has been a continuing decline in the quality of water in the Illinois River, and discussions have focused on developing and implementing a phosphorus standard. The specific objectives of this study are to estimate the reduction in poultry production necessary to achieve the reduction in phosphorus runoff under a set of phosphorus constraints, including soil test phosphorus, and to estimate the opportunity costs of reducing poultry production in the basin under each phosphorus constraint on the economic activity in the watershed. A mathematical programming model that incorporates poultry production and cropping decisions is developed. The parameters for the model are identified and then it is solved to provide a base solution. Model solutions are then developed for the different policy target levels of phosphorus. The model structure is modified to account for the presence of soil test phosphorus levels and the corresponding limits on soil test phosphorus throughout the basin. This formulation includes current soil test phosphorus throughout the basin. All of the applications assume that the only disposal option for poultry litter is land application within the basin. An economic impact assessment of the effects of phosphorus limitations in the basin is also conducted for Arkansas counties only, Oklahoma counties only, and all five affected counties combined.

Public perception of ecosystem integrity of an Ozark watershed

In order to establish a comparison between public perception and instream field assessments of ecosystem quality, the results from two years of bioassessment from Clear Creek Watershed, located in the Ozark Highlands Ecoregion of northwest Arkansas, United States, were compared to results from a mail-out survey conducted within the same watershed during the same time frame. The Environmental Protection Agency Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP) was used to conduct a bioassessment of the watershed, and results were compared to stakeholder perceptions of the watersheds ecosystem integrity. The results indicated that respondents significantly overestimated or underestimated ecosystem integrity and tended to disagree with bioassessment results from each site sampled in the watershed. Disparity between perception and scientifically assessed ecosystem integrity was observed regardless of respondent residence location or knowledge of factual information regarding ecosystem processes. However, respondents with lifestyles that tended to connect them to watershed ecosystem processes were more likely to rank ecosystem quality similarly to the results attained through the bioassessments used for this study. Perceptions among respondents in this study suggest a disconnection between ecosystem processes and the everyday lives of residents of Clear Creek Watershed. Understanding how well public perception agrees with scientific information provides insight into environmental education and policy initiatives that strive to conserve ecosystem services. As a result, conservation initiatives should be developed in such a way as to reduce the disparity between public perception of watershed ecosystem integrity and the scientific assessments that help communities understand how to manage and conserve those systems. If perception is not taken into consideration, there is a danger in creating policy or developing programs that are not compatible with stakeholder expectations or ecosystem function.

Factors Influencing Job Choice among Agricultural Economics Professionals

This article identifies factors that influence agricultural economics professionals’ job choice between academic and government employment. Respondents agreed that job responsibilities were the most important factor in choosing their current position. They also agreed that having a positive work environment, good salary, family time, adequate resources, and professional and social interaction were important job attributes. Proportionally more women than men regarded partner opportunities, nondiscrimination, time for child care, and supportive colleagues as very important attributes influencing their decisions. A binomial probit of respondents’ current job sector indicates significant job choice determinants include sector preference (academic or government), previous professional experience, a positive work environment, and advancement opportunities.

The Role of Biotechnology in a Sustainable Food Supply

1. World population growth and food supply William H. Meyers and Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes 2. Social challenges: public opinion and agricultural biotechnology Dominique Brossard 3. Loving biotechnology: ethics considerations Lowell E. Grisham 4. Biotechnology in crop production Eric S. Sachs 5. Biotechnology and the control of viral diseases of crops Jason R. Cavatorta, Stewart M. Gray and Molly M. Jahn 6. Animal biotechnologies and agricultural sustainability Alison Van Eenennaam and William Muir 7. Genetically engineered crops can be part of a sustainable food supply: food and food safety issues Peggy G. Lenaux 8. Ecological considerations in biotechnology: ecological concerns and environmental risks at transgenic crops Mark K. Sears and Jeffrey D. Wolt 9. Organic agriculture as an alternative to a GE-based system Erin Silva 10. A case study of rice: from traditional breeding to genomics: rice-food for the gods Pamela Ronald 11. Case study: healthy grown potatoes and sustainability of Wisconsin potato production Alvin J. Bussan, Deana Knuteson, Jed Colquhoun, Larry Binning, Shelley Jansky, Jiming Jiang, Paul D. Mitchell, Walter R. Stevenson, Russ Groves, Jeff Wyman, Matt Ruark and Keith Kelling 12. Precautionary practice of risk assessment Caroline Baier-Anderson and Michelle Mauthe Harvey 13. Risk assessment approaches and implications Jose Falck-Zepeda and Anthony J. Cavalieri 14. The context of biotechnology in sustainable agriculture Marty D. Matlock 15. Agricultural biotechnology: equity and prosperity Gregory D. Graff and David Zilbeman.

Willingness to Pay for Riparian Zones in an Ozark Watershed

AbstractClear Creek watershed, located in the Ozark Mountain Region of Northwest Arkansas, has experienced ecosystem degradation as a result of increased urbanization. Riparian zones are known to p...

Regional growth and Beaver Lake: a study of recreation visitors

Beaver Lake is the primary water supply for a rapidly growing region in Northwest Arkansas. The lake is a popular tourist destination and land surrounding it is highly sought after for development. Some voice concern that development could affect lake water quality negatively and threaten future regional growth. The results of the study presented here suggest the spending of 2.4 million annual visitors to Beaver Lake generates 600 jobs, US

Development of a multi-objective optimization tool for the selection and placement of BMPs for nonpoint source pollution control

12.9 million in income and US