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<OL> <LI> Provide education and outreach modules that allow interested stakeholders at the local, state, and regional levels to develop successful performance-based water quality policy recommendations. <LI> Deliver a science-based, stakeholder-driven, participatory process for creating appropriate performance measures and incentive mechanisms that can be tailored to each watershed and accepted by necessary agency personnel. <LI> Provide a national clearinghouse for information on the use of performance-based policies for agricultural nonpoint source pollution control. <LI> Coordinate and assemble the lessons learned from each PEPA watershed activity to inform national policy discussions on agricultural nonpoint source pollution control.
Non-Technical Summary: Current conservation approaches do not focus on environmental outcomes and do not provide farmer flexibility sufficient to induce innovation or seek least-cost solutions. This National Facilitation project will initiate and conduct a coordinated program focused on developing stakeholder-driven, performance-based water quality programs for controlling nonpoint source pollution from agriculture in a more cost-effective manner. <P> Approach: Task 1. Develop educational and outreach materials on the theory and practice of performance-based approaches for control of agricultural NPS. Task 2. Develop a PEPA Website as a Clearinghouse for Information. Task 3. Enhance and Document Stakeholder-Scientific Policy Development Process. Task 4. Conduct education and outreach activities throughout the U.S. Task 5. Demonstration of the PEPA approach at the watershed-level through CSREES Regional Water Quality Projects. Task 6. Conduct a National PEPA Workshop. Task 7. Compile lessons learned and create policy recommnedations for the use of performance-based incentives.