Performance–based Incentives for
Conservation in Agriculture (PICA)
Lisa Lurie, RCDSCC
Presentation to the CARCD Conference November 14, 2014
In partnership with:
Sustainable Conservation
Preservation Inc.
UC Cooperative Extension
RCD Monterey County
NRCS
Participating growers and shippers
The PICA 2013-2015 project is funded through the CDFA Specialty Crop Block Grant program
with partner match and in-kind contributions.
PICA in a nutshell
PICA is a voluntary program assisting growers in tracking water use and nitrogen
movement on their farms to demonstrate and incentivize environmental performance
Objective
Indicator(s)
Water Quantity
Reduce water pumped from
aquifer
Target(s)
Measurement
Incentives
Water Quality
Reduce nitrate leaching & nitrate in storm runoff
PICA metrics
• Water Use Efficiency Ratio
Total water applied (irrig+rainfall) / crop specific
evapotranspiration (ETc)
• Nitrogen Use Efficiency Ratio (as indirect measure
of nitrate leaching)
[N fertilizer applied + change in soil mineral N+ N
water*ETc]/[N in plant biomass (fruit and vegetation)]
• Nitrogen and sediment loss in storm runoff
Nitrate Concentration and Total Suspended Solids in
runoff leaving the farm
Background and Context
Benefits of
performance-based metrics
• Provide measures to optimize water and fertilizer
application and reduce costs, manage risk
• Provide documentation to meet buyer sustainability
reporting requirements
• Provide documentation to meet regulatory
requirements.
• Useful in combination with practice-based
incentives to document conservation benefits of
investment
PICA Accomplishments to date
• Preliminary framework for metrics and incentives
developed and partially piloted in 2012-2013
• Metrics and monitoring methodology revised
and piloted on 10 strawberry farms for growing
season 2013-2014 in the Pajaro Valley and
Elkhorn Slough watersheds
• Work with private industry and public agencies
to explore potential incentives for the program
• Starting 2014-2015 pilot with 13 new ranches
2013-2014 Pilot Growers
•
•
•
•
10 Strawberry Ranches
6 Companies
200 + acres
How do these growers make irrigation decisions?
• Feel method
• Flow meter
• DU evaluations
• Soil moisture monitoring
• How do these growers make fertilizer decisions?
• Soil lab analysis
• leaf petiole analysis
• PCA recommendations
• Spectrum of sophistication of methods for record keeping
Metrics are only as useful as the quality of
recordkeeping
Annual Sampling Schedule
(Pilot)
Pre-Plant (late summer / fall)
• Confirm water meter function, take initial reading
• Determine monitoring locations for surface runoff
• Determine monitoring locations for soil NO₃-N (lbs/acre), collect first sample
• Document fertilizer pre-plant application (lbs/acre)
Throughout growing season
• Record readings from water meter (either main or block level) (AF)
• Measure and report NO₃-N during 2-3 runoff events (ppm)
• Measure and report soil NO₃-N (lbs/acre) (once or twice)
• Document fertilizer applications (lbs/acre)
• Measure irrigation water N concentration
Post-Harvest
• Measure and report soil NO₃-N (lbs/acre)
• Take final water meter reading
• Measure N in plant biomass (fruit and vegetation)
MonitoringPerformance
Monitoring Performance
Incentive Structure Options
Practice incentives
Performance incentives
Practice implementation
Type of
Incentive:
Purpose:
Farm-level Objectives
On Farm
Practice Incentives
Private
Performance Incentives
Public and private support
to accelerate adoption of
new management
practices
Reward achievement of
outcomes that provide shortterm financial advantage or
long-term business viability
Cost-share on practices
Examples:
Ambient-level Objectives
Public
Performance Incentives
Reward achievement of
farm level outcomes that
collectively will provide
public good
Grower: cost savings from
reducing inputs
Water District:
• Pricing/rebates
Buyer: sustainability reporting
• Contract preference
• pricing for crop quality
Regulatory Agencies:
• Alternative reporting
Education and Training
Technical support
Lender
Land-owner
What incentives do participating
growers most value?
• Data to inform management
• Knowing where you stand
relative to peers
• Regulatory relief
• Cost offsets
• Crop Pricing (linked to yield,
quality, shelf life)
Next Phases
1. Develop a fully functional self-assessment program for berries in
the Pajaro Valley
• Adjust monitoring methodology, implement on more ranches
• Pilot incentives with private industry and public agencies
2. Adapt the PICA model to pilot with other crops and transfer to
other geographic locations
3. Develop business framework to sustainably manage PICA
(including technical assistance, data management, performance
reporting)
4. Integrate the PICA model of farm-level performance assessment
with industry sustainability tracking and other regional initiatives
looking at ambient level metrics, performance and incentives.
5. Explore performance metrics for soil health and climate change
resiliency
Questions?
Lisa Lurie – llurie@rcdsantacruz.org 831-464-2950 x 27
The PICA 2013-2015 project is made possible through funding provided by the CDFA Specialty
Crop Block Grant program and partner match and in-kind contributions from Sustainable
Conservation, Preservation Inc., RCD of Monterey County, NRCS, Driscoll’s Berries, and
participating growers. Thank you to all our supporters and partners!