Scaling Conservation Agriculture The RIPE Way
RIPE’s Approach to Removing Barriers for Producers
Prioritizing conservation in agriculture seems like a no-brainer - key conservation practices promote soil health and biodiversity, preserve water, improve nutrient density in food, and generate several additional benefits for human and environmental health. The problem is that adopting these practices sometimes requires high upfront costs, additional inputs and materials, and long-term maintenance and management commitments. And in some cases, there can be a loss of revenue due to lower yields in transition.
Earlier this year, the USDA published “Economic Outcomes of Soil Health and Conservation Practices on U.S. Cropland.” This report aligns well with RIPE’s approach to scaling voluntary conservation practices on American soil in many regards.
Some key similarities include:
The use of soil health and conservation practices has the potential to benefit society and agricultural producers through improvement in soil health, water quality, agricultural productivity, and other ecosystem services
There are costs associated with implementing such practices, and the net benefit to the producer and to society depends on a variety of factors
Soil health practices often require producers to incur short-term costs to generate long-term benefits
Soil health and conservation practices, such as conservation tillage, cover cropping, and nutrient management, have the potential to provide ecosystem services for society and improve the long-term profitability of crop and livestock production for producers
Risk and uncertainty affect producer adoption of new soil health practices, such as cover cropping, as do other behavioral factors, such as time and risk preferences, and peer effects and social norms
Producer decision making is shaped by behavioral factors as well as by the costs and benefits of soil health and conservation practices
Let’s explore these similarities in greater detail, and discuss RIPE’s approach to scaling conservation agriculture in America..
BARRIERS TO CONSERVATION PRACTICE ADOPTION:
The use of soil health and conservation practices has the potential to benefit society and agricultural producers. Conservation practices can include regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, sustainable irrigation systems, wildlife habitat management and more. Benefits to society may include more nutritious food and a healthier population as a result. Benefits to producers may include higher quality commodities, lower input costs, and leaving the land better for future generations.
There are costs associated with implementing such practices, and the net benefit to the producer and to society depends on a variety of factors. Soil health practices often require producers to incur short-term costs to generate long-term benefits. The majority of privately-held land in the United States is agricultural production, which means farmers and ranchers are best positioned to be stewards of our natural resources. However, this is a major responsibility that should not be shouldered by the producer alone. Farmers and ranchers produce fiber, food and fuel for the masses, and should be supported when making the transition to conservation agriculture. Not only are short-term costs often a barrier to conservation practice adoption, but hefty time commitments can be taxing as well. Farming and ranching are time- and resource-intensive professions, and a little support from policymakers and the general public can go a long way.
Soil health and conservation practices, such as conservation tillage, cover cropping, and nutrient management, have the potential to provide ecosystem services for society and improve the profitability of crop and livestock production for producers. Soil health and conservation practices can reduce input costs through effective natural resource management, ultimately improving profitability for producers and requiring less time and money after the initial implementation period.
Risk and uncertainty affect producer adoption of new soil health practices, such as cover cropping, as do other behavioral factors, such as time and risk preferences, and peer effects and social norms. It was John F. Kennedy who said “the farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways.” This quote came from a 1960 speech in Sioux Falls, SD while Kennedy was senator. 65 years later and Kennedy’s words are still relevant today. The transition to soil health practices can come with uncertainty, and some producers may not have the expendable resources (money or time) to experiment to find what works best for their land. To encourage the adoption of key conservation practices at scale, we must de-risk the transition for producers. This is RIPE’s singular commitment.
If soil health and conservation practices create such valuable benefits for people and the planet alike, it should be a no-brainer that they are embraced far and wide. The unfortunate reality is that adoption of such practices has been slow due to the barriers that producers face, namely upfront financial and time commitments. That’s where RIPE comes in.
Soil health and other key conservation practices can generate several environmental benefits - water and soil conservation, biodiversity improvement, resilience to extreme weather conditions, even reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. RIPE recognizes that the impact created by conservation on American farmland goes beyond environmental benefits - it can support the livelihood of producers and rural communities, promote energy security in rural areas, and improve the nutritional quality of crops. Rural America needs support that is meaningful across geographics and demographics, and that is realistic and long-lasting. We need to make it count and make it last.
The RIPE Approach includes a few key principles to scale voluntary conservation adoption:
De-risk voluntary conservation adoption. This requires incentives that include the full cost of adoption, cost of management, economic losses during the transition to new practices, and increasing production costs.
Conservation programs must be simplified and streamlined. This includes the enrollment process that enables all producers, including early adopters and/or historically underserved, to participate.
Prioritize investments in agricultural conservation practices that provide the greatest economic and environmental benefits to maximize the public’s return on investment. This should include the value of stacked ecosystems benefits accrued through improved soil health, greenhouse gas reduction, water quality and conservation, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation.
RIPE is on a mission to make regenerative agriculture and other key conservation practices the norm on American soil. By leveraging farm policy and market access, complemented by advocacy, outreach, research and storytelling initiatives, we are scaling regenerative agriculture The RIPE Way.
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Agriculture is ingrained in American history - from the indigenous peoples who first cultivated the land to modern day farmers and ranchers, these people built the very foundation of this country and continue to maintain it so that we are fed and fueled. It is the duty of American farmers and ranchers to provide for the masses, and the duty of the American people to support these producers. Producers have an opportunity to be thoughtful stewards of our land and natural resources, but they shouldn’t have to shoulder this responsibility alone. Join us on this journey to help producers and help the planet - for our food, for our fuel and for our future.
