Description of C-FARE Events: (2015 - 2010)

11.Washington, D.C. Workshops Economic Valuation of Conservation-Based Ecosystem Services (2015)

The purpose of the workshop was to assess the economic value of ecosystem services resulting from conservation expenditures and investments. It focused on developing an approach for how valuation information from a variety of sources can be used to address specific challenges within the public policy process. Four ecosystem services areas were discussed, including:

• Water Quality

• Biodiversity and Habitat

• Soil Health

• Greenhouse gases

The workshop agenda included several presentations by experts in the area of ecosystem services. The Masters of Ceremony were Roger Coupal and Steven Kraft.

12. C-FARE Report: “From Farm Income to Food Consumption: Valuing USDA Data Products” (2013)

In 2013, C-FARE continued our practice of organizing federal program reviews to provide excellent examples of how economists contribute to federal topics and programs.

On May 16, 2013, C-FARE held a seminar as a part of a project to elucidate the value of data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Specific objectives of the project were to:

1. Summarize the major USDA data collection efforts;

2. Provide a conceptual framework for determining the value of information;

3. Summarize the academic research on the effects and value of USDA data products;

4. Provide, where possible, case-study accounts of effects of prior discontinuations of USDA data products;

5. Make recommendations on opportunities to increase the value of USDA data collection efforts; and

6. Outline an approach that measures the net benefits of alternative USDA data products.

In October, the C-FARE released the report, “From Farm Income to Food Consumption: Valuing USDA Data Products.” The report outlines eight questions to provide a framework for making more informed and objective judgments about the relative merits of competing data products. In addition, the report also emphasizes recommendations for further research, the need for understanding the extent of data use across Federal agencies, and streamlining data collection to more closely match how and when the data are most useful. The report surveys the social science literature on the value of public data, explores available research on the value of USDA data, and describes a framework for prioritizing data collection and reporting.

13. Report Series: “The Conservation Crossroads in Agriculture” (2013)

The Conservation Crossroads in Agriculture" project convened leading economists to examine the current thinking about the economic implications of conservation policies. As part of its work on the impending farm bill, C-FARE released the series, which included the following reports:

1. “Top 10 Design Elements to Achieve More Efficient Conservation Programs” by Dr. David Zilberman, University of California at Berkeley and Dr. Kathleen Segerson, University of Connecticut;

2. “Economic and Environmental Effects of Agricultural Insurance Programs” by Dr. Daniel A. Sumner, University of California at Davis and Dr. Carl Zulauf, Ohio State University;

3. “Examining the Relationship of Conservation Compliance and Farm Program Incentives,” by Dr. Otto Doering, Purdue University and Dr. Katherine Smith, American Farmland Trust; and

4. “Implications of a Reduced Conservation Reserve Program” by Dr. JunJie Wu and Dr. Bruce Weber of Oregon State University.

14. Bringing Urban Agriculture to Life Briefings (2011)