The EPA has identified agriculture to be a major contributor of nonpoint source water pollution. The production of rice poses two major water quality issues: the application of a large amount of water that is held on the field for long periods of time during the growing season and the disposal of that water at a later time in the production cycle.
Louisiana has developed the voluntary adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs). These practices have been promoted through educational programs such as the Master Farmer program. This program, developed by the LSU AgCenter, targets conservation practices that are both environmentally and economically beneficial.
This study assessed the current adoption of 20 Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the Southwest Louisiana rice industry and provided policy recommendations based on the results. The practices were grouped into five management areas: erosion and sediment management, water management, nutrient management, pesticide management, and wildlife habitat management. A mail survey was conducted to determine producer awareness of water quality legislation, adoption of BMPs, participation in Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share programs, additional sources of on-farm revenue, environmental attitudes, and socioeconomic information.
The results show that the most significant variables include: awareness of the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Act, educational programs and consultation with LCES personnel, attendance of grower meetings, farm size, intention to pass the farm to a family member, and the leasing of the majority of land to others. The recommendations of this study are to continue the promotion of educational programs and producer involvement with LCES agents
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-11122007-143350 |
| Date | 16 November 2007 |
| Creators | Landry, Heidi |
| Contributors | Michael Wascom, JD, Rex Caffey, Michael E. Salassi, Steve Henning |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11122007-143350/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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