The role of civic structure in achieving performance-based watershed management.

摘要

Traditional solutions to solving the problem of non-point source pollution from agricultural sources have been to write and enforce regulatory rules and create top-down financial incentives to shift land use practices. What has been overlooked are the roles that social pressure and internal beliefs and knowledge play in achieving sustainable practices. In this research, a model for achieving and sustaining targeted water quality outcomes is developed. A case study is used to illustrate how the civic structure and social connections among farmers in a common watershed provide an effective strategy for creating performance-based goals that can lead to better water outcomes.