Translating Watershed Studies into Action: NIFA-CEAP.

The goal of USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is to demonstrate the value of agricultural conservation.  Within a large range of CEAP activities, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funded 13 watershed-scale projects (NIFA-CEAP) to evaluate conservation practice adoption at the watershed scale and effects of practices on water quality.  As these projects finished, results were synthesized into a series of lessons learned.  Adoption of many of these lessons is critical in order to protect water quality in agricultural watersheds.  We provided  lessons learned through multiple extension outlets: fact sheets, webinars, briefings, presentations, and other venues.  Distribution of these lessons into federal agencies has been made easier through “change agents” within organizations such as USEPA and NRCS.  For outreach that involves organizations, an internal change agent is an essential partner for extension if lessons are to be moved into practice.