Research
Basin-scale evaluation of incentives for conservation practice adoption
Coupled models test how cost-sharing and pay-for-performance programs shape farmer behavior, cooperation, costs, and water-quality outcomes.
We develop basin-scale modeling tools to evaluate how incentive programs influence farmers’ adoption of agricultural best management practices and the resulting water-quality outcomes.
Our work compares traditional cost-share programs with individual- and group-based pay-for-performance strategies. A coupled agent-based framework simulates behavioral responses, social norms, and cooperative dynamics. Across large river basins, the results show how performance-based approaches can produce greater pollutant reductions at lower cost, with group-based programs offering especially robust and cost-effective improvements.
This decision-support platform helps agencies design incentives that are economically efficient and socially achievable.