Accelerating Farmer Adoption of Edge-of-Field Conservation Practices on Leakiest Fields: Economic Experiment Evidence that Reduces Hypothetical Bias

Issue

Water quality in the Mississippi River Basin is severely impacted by nutrient pollution, with nearly half of U.S. lakes showing signs of degradation. Despite the proven benefits of conservation practices like cover crops and edge-of-field (EOF) practices (e.g., saturated buffers and bioreactors), adoption rates remain critically low — less than 6% for cover crops and under 1% for EOF practices in Iowa. This threatens the region’s ability to meet the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force’s goal of a 45% nitrogen reduction by 2035.

Objective

This project seeks to:

1. generate accurate estimates of farmers’ willingness to adopt EOF practices under real-world policy conditions, and
2. evaluate the effectiveness of peer messengers in outreach efforts to improve understanding and adoption of these practices.

Approach

Building on previous INRC-funded research, the team will conduct a mixed-method study combining surveys and qualitative interviews with 4,000 farmers in high-impact areas identified through spatial targeting. A split-sample survey will compare responses under hypothetical and real payment scenarios to assess adoption likelihood and willingness to accept (WTA). The study will also test the influence of male and female peer messengers on farmer decision-making, challenging conventional assumptions about gender dynamics in outreach. Listening sessions will further explore farmer perceptions, knowledge gaps and barriers to adoption. Findings will inform more effective conservation program design and outreach strategies, ultimately supporting broader adoption of EOF practices and improved water quality across the region.