Agriculture and sustainable practices: Protecting water quality

Abstract

Conservation practices are used to protect vital resources, such as soil and water, while maintaining productive agriculture. Scientists have conducted hundreds of research projects on conservation practices over decades and the volume of research is evident in the compilation of bibliographies by the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library, in conjunction with the USDA, to support the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The CEAP was created in 2003 to understand and optimize environmental benefits of conservation practices implemented via selected USDA conservation programs. Overall, the goal of CEAP is to improve the efficacy of conservation practices and programs by quantifying conservation effects and providing the science and education base needed to improve future conservation planning, implementation, management decisions, and policy.