摘要：Agri-environmental policy is at a crossroads. Over the past 20 years, a wide rangeof policies addressing the environmental implications of agricultural productionhave been implemented at the Federal level. Those policies have played an impor-tant role in reducing soil erosion, protecting and restoring wetlands, and creatingwildlife habitat. However, emerging agri-environmental issues, evolution of farmincome support policies, and limits imposed by trade agreements may point towarda rethinking of agri-environmental policy. This report identifies the types of policytools available and the design features that have improved the effectiveness of cur-rent programs. It provides an indepth analysis of one policy tool that may be animportant component of a future policy package—agri-environmental payments.The analysis focuses on issues and tradeoffs that policymakers would face indesigning a program of agri-environmental payments.
关键词：conservation programs; environmental policy; agricultural policy;policy instruments; agricultural program design; soil erosion; and nitrogen runoff
