Retiring Land to Save Water: Participation in Colorado's Republican River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Agricultural land retirement is increasingly used to manage water resources. This study uses well-level enrollment data to explore the factors that influence landowner participation in the Colorado Republican River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. An empirical model of enrollment is informe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Land economics 2018-02, Vol.94 (1), p.36-51
Main Authors: Monger, Randall G., Suter, Jordan F., Manning, Dale T., Schneekloth, Joel P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Agricultural management
Aquifers
Conservation
Financial incentives
Incentives
Landowners
Monetary incentives
Participation
Productivity
Retirement
Rivers
Soil characteristics
Water
Water management
Water resources
Water resources management
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Summary:Agricultural land retirement is increasingly used to manage water resources. This study uses well-level enrollment data to explore the factors that influence landowner participation in the Colorado Republican River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. An empirical model of enrollment is informed by a theoretical model of participation that incorporates aquifer and soil characteristics in addition to financial incentives. Our results reveal that enrollment is predicted to increase by 0.087 percentage points with a $10 increase in the incentives offered. The probability of enrollment is also influenced by the aquifer's saturated thickness and the soil characteristics that impact land productivity.
ISSN:0023-7639
1543-8325
DOI:10.3368/le.94.1.36