Cost-Effective Strategies for Reducing Cropland Nutrient Deliveries to the Gulf of Mexico

Targeting regions and practices that can most cost effectively reduce nutrient deliveries from cropland to the Gulf of Mexico would reduce the overall cost of achieving water quality objectives for the Gulf but also would increase costs and land-use adjustments for production regions closest to the Gulf. The least-cost strategy for nutrient reduction within the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin would involve a mix of conservation practices—including optimally placed wetlands and buffers, which are generally the most cost-effective strategies for nitrogen reduction.Providing incentives for the reduction of a single nutrient—either nitrogen or phosphorus—would result in a reduction of the other nutrient as well, though the strength of the association varies regionally and the effect is greater when nitrogen is the targeted nutrient.