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Principles and Policies for Soil and Water Conservation

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Principles and Policies for Soil and Water Conservation doi:10.2489/jswc.73.4.96A VIEWPOINT Principles and policies for soil and water conservation Andrew Manale, Andrew Sharpley, Catherine DeLong, David Speidel, Clark Gantzer, John Peter- son, Rex Martin, Clare Lindahl, and Naveen Adusumilli e, the Soil and Water Con- as a great people, begins with and rests on lands, which are likely to transform with servation Society (“Society”), the sustained productivity of our agricul- climate change and societal pressures. W maintain that natural resources tural lands” (Bennett 1946). Agricultural Publicly funded research is necessary to are a nation’s heritage. Soil, water, wild- lands provide food, fiber, and fuel, and if provide this information to all farmers, life, and other ecosystem resources must managed with regard to their environmen- practitioners, and the public. Education be protected for future generations. Over tal and social impact, can provide services, and Conservation Technical Assistance are decades of research and deliberations of such as wildlife and pollinator habitat, essential to promote adoption of conser- researchers, educators, and practitioners, clean water, clean air, flood and drought vation practices by farmers and ranchers the Society has identified and developed mitigation, and recreational opportuni- (SWCS 2011). As Ralph H. Musser (1946), the following principles for conservation ties. Healthy soils enable production of the first president of the Soil and Water on private lands. This paper is a commen- agricultural goods, filter water, sequester Conservation Society, stated, “At the core tary on working lands for the 2018 Farm carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), and offset this great endeavor to hold onto the world’s Bill and is not meant to be an exhaus- release of greenhouse gases. store of productive soil and water, will be Copyright © 2018 Soil and Water Conservation Society. All rights reserved. tive synthesis of all principles held by the Agricultural land must be managed to the professional soil conservationist.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Society. Here we describe eight Society ensure positive value for both products Implications for Policy. Agricultural principles for soil, water, wildlife, and and services. Clean water is a shared and research should be funded at levels suf- ecosystem conservation to inform future cooperatively managed resource, and agri- ficient to meet the needs of sustainable farm bill discussions and guide develop- cultural land should be managed so as not stewardship of agricultural lands and ment and review of agricultural policies to jeopardize this public good. Managing resources. Research priorities should and funding. land for ecosystem services protects the reflect the need to protect resource integrity of agricultural lands and pro- resilience in light of changing climatic PRINCIPLE 1: AGRICULTURAL SOIL, motes the land ethic expressed by Aldo conditions. Public funds should lever- WATER, AND ASSOCIATED WILDLIFE Leopold, which “enlarges the boundaries age private resources to increase funding. AND ECOSYSTEM RESOURCES MUST of the community to include soils, waters, Conservation Technical Assistance (“boots BE SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FOR plants, and animals, or collectively: the on the ground”) is the main delivery sys- 73(4):96A-99A FUTURE GENERATIONS land” (Leopold 1949). However, not all tem of conservation knowledge to farmers In 1946 Hugh Hammond Bennett, the ecosystem services generate marketplace and ranchers, and this role must be safe- Society’s founder, stated, “Productive land, value. For these, their social and environ- guarded through public funding. therefore, is our base; for everything we do, mental value must be inferred through www.swcs.org all we share, even whatever we amount to consideration of public and long-term PRINCIPLE 3: HEALTHY SOILS ARE ecological benefits. PRODUCTIVE AND RESILIENT SOILS Implications for Policy. Public fund- Soil organic matter is an essential com- Andrew Manale is a retired US Environmental Protection Agency senior policy analyst, Silver ing is necessary to support conservation ponent of healthy soils. Soil organic Spring, Maryland. Andrew Sharpley is a distin- programs and research to protect services matter helps retain soil moisture, seques- guished professor in the Department of Crops, and their foundational resources that pri- ter N, enhance water conservation, and Soils, and Environmental Sciences, University vate markets undervalue. Institutional is as a major sink for greenhouse gases. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. Catherine DeLong is special projects director for the Soil support is necessary for ensuring proper Maintaining or increasing organic mat- and Water Conservation Society (SWCS), Anke- social valuation. The concept of ecosystem ter levels in agricultural soils, including ny, Iowa. David Speidel is a retired agriculture services provides the best framework for grazing and pasturelands, must be a goal advisor/district conservationist, USDA Foreign understanding human needs and their reli- of farm policy. Healthy soils, because of Agricultural Service/Natural Resources Conser- vation Service, Benton, Missouri. Clark Gantzer ance on the ethical, holistic management their enhanced soil structure and increased is an emeritus professor of the University of of land and resources to serve these needs. infiltration capacity, are less vulnerable to Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri. John erosion and nutrient loss that can pol- Peterson is the SWCS Washington, DC, repre- sentative, Burke, Virginia. Rex Martin is chief PRINCIPLE 2: SUSTAINABLE lute water resources. Improved cropping, executive officer of Alpha Gamma Rho Frater- STEWARDSHIP OF AGRICULTURAL fertilization, and management, includ- nity, Kansas City, Missouri. Clare Lindahl is ex- LANDS DEPENDS UPON ing reduced tillage, crop rotation, cover ecutive director of SWCS, Ankeny, Iowa. Naveen SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND RESEARCH crops, and sustainable grazing practices, are Adusumilli is an assistant professor and exten- sion economist in the Department of Agricultur- AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION important to maintaining and achieving al Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State Long-term research, data collection, and healthy soils. University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. data availability are essential to the sus- Surface and subsurface drainage should tainable management of agricultural be managed to minimize water and nutri- 96A JULY/AUGUST 2018—VOL. 73, NO. 4 JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ent loss. Although conservation practices PRINCIPLE 4: WETLANDS AND quality monitoring should also be consid- are implemented and managed at field FLOODPLAINS ARE ESSENTIAL TO LONG- ered to assess practice effectiveness. and farm scales, their benefits are better TERM RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY captured at landscape or watershed scales. Wetlands are necessary for managing PRINCIPLE 5: FARM BILLS SHOULD Public investment is needed to support excess farm nutrients, receiving, and INCENTIVIZE FARMERS AND UTILITIES the development of tools for identifying managing water in high rainfall events, TO WORK TOGETHER TO PROTECT and guiding conservation planning, such as adapting to drought conditions, and for DRINKING WATER watershed planning, and, importantly, the healthy wildlife populations. Many, if not All communities should have access to continuing education and training of peo- most, are irreplaceable. Mitigation bank- safe and plentiful drinking water, or ple who will provide and use those tools. ing can be a useful tool for maintaining source water. Rural communities are at Implications for Policy. Government and enhancing values and functions of greater risk to drinking water contamina- and private sectors must maintain incen- wetlands in situations where wetlands tion, according to the Center for Disease tives to manage soils for organic matter and high-value farming are in conflict. Control and Prevention (2017). Yet, these content and, where necessary, maintain Mitigation banking can be effective if communities are often unable to take on or promote incentives for soil and water “(a) banks are used strictly to mitigate costly utility and infrastructure upgrades conservation. Policies, such as the unavoidable wetland impacts or losses, (b) (Strosnider et al. 2017). In order to pro- Conservation Compliance, Wetlands impacts are mitigated on-site where pos- tect rural and urban source water, farmers Copyright © 2018 Soil and Water Conservation Society. All rights reserved. Conservation Provisions (Swampbuster), sible, (c) banks are located in the same should be incentivized to target conserva- Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Sodbuster, and Sodsaver, must be main- watershed or ecological region as the wet- tion practices on land that surrounds and tained or enhanced, where necessary, land impacts they mitigate, and (d) banks impacts critical drinking water sources. to encourage stewardship. Agricultural provide in-kind replacement of wetland Implications for Policy. Conservation policy should encourage reduced tillage, functions and values lost” (US House of title funding in farm bills should encour- sustainable crop rotations, cover crops, Representatives 1994) age water utilities and farmers to C sequestration, sustainable grazing, and Floodplains represent special eco- partner through the Environmental Quality drainage management. Conservation pro- systems of particular importance to Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation grams should help the public and private the well-being of many communities.
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