Additionality in US agri-environmental programmes for working land: A preliminary look at new data

The United States’ agri-environmental (AE) policy for working land relies largely on voluntary programmes. Agri-environmental payments result in additional environmental gains only if they prompt the adoption of practices that would not have been adopted without these payments. Little is known, however, about additionality in US programmes. Recent data from the Agricultural Resources Management Survey (ARMS) show that some producers have adopted conservation practices without payments, either because they are profitable on their farms (conservation tillage) or because targeted practices are required by state regulations (nutrient or manure management). It is also possible that some recipient farmers might adopt practices even without payments. In future research Propensity Score Matching (PSM) will be used to estimate the extent of additionality in US agri-environmental programmes. Potential barriers to this research include small sample size and the complexity of US agrienvironmental programmes.