Projecting agroforestry adoption and agroforestry water quality trading in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA

Abstract

Agricultural nonpoint source nutrient pollution is the leading cause of water quality impairment in the Chesapeake Bay. Agroforestry, the integration of trees with crops or livestock production, or both, achieves production and conservation objectives on a single plot of land. Agroforestry is recognized by the Chesapeake Bay Program's strategy as a means of reducing nonpoint source pollution to improve water quality in the Bay. Despite this, agroforestry adoption remains limited and agroforestry is not recognized in Virginia's water quality trading program. To understand the potential of agroforestry nutrient credit trading, I studied the prospects of agroforestry from both a social and biophysical perspective. First, I surveyed 1,436 randomly selected landowners in four 5th level watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia for a mixed-methods analysis of agroforestry adoption interest. Second, I used the Chesapeake Bay Assessment Scenario Tool to analyze the water quality implications of intermediate forest conversion scenarios on four initial agricultural land uses on respondent properties. From these studies, I recommend landowner characteristics, concerns, and objectives concerning agroforestry need to shape research and outreach messaging. Furthermore, agroforestry practices has potential to significantly reduce nonpoint source nutrient pollution in a manner that preserves agricultural production, but the terrestrial nutrient dynamics of agroforestry will need to be better captured in modeling to aid in the design of these systems and to generate adequate and fair crediting standards.