The Conservation Effects Assessment Project

Abstract

Following the passage of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, also known as the "2002 Farm Bill", which significantly increased funding for conservation programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and other USDA agencies created the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) in 2003. The goal of CEAP is to measure the effects of agricultural conservation practices and develop the science-base for managing agricultural landscapes for environmental quality. The CEAP Watershed Assessment Studies, a partnership between NRCS, ARS, and numerous other federal and university partners, quantify the effects of conservation practices on water quality, water availability, and soil health within small watersheds. Field and watershed studies also help build understanding of the processes that are influenced by or drive conservation practice effects. This brochure describes the currently active 23 watershed studies at 18 locations and the research findings to date. These findings, the improved simulation models, and the newly developed conservation practices and assessment tools contribute towards more effective conservation strategies to address goals and document outcomes for the USDA Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative, the Lake Champlain Basin Initiative, and local source water protection efforts