Conservation Archives - Delta Institute

To assess conservation adoption in Illinois and identify key factors that lead to higher adoption rates, Delta Institute (Delta) and the Environmental Working Group partnered to identify conservation hotspots. We utilized publicly available data to identify where conservation practices are being adopted. Where we had datasets that covered extended time ranges, we also assessed the longevity of conservation behavior. Additionally, an interactive map was created to facilitate further exploration of the data.

Learn More

Land Stewardship in Southeast Michigan

Delta Institute (Delta) seeks to engage landowners, land managers, and farmers to implement conservation practices in Southeastern Michigan, thus improving environmental outcomes. To better understand the socioeconomic, environmental, and political dynamics that impact the success of agricultural conservation programs in Southeast Michigan, Delta compiled and summarized data on producer demographics, land use, cropping area, tenure status, conservation practices, and conservation program participation and outcomes.

Learn More

Phosphorus Reduction in the Kalamazoo River Watershed

Delta Institute (Delta) created a market and performance-based agricultural incentive program to reduce phosphorus loading in the Kalamazoo River Watershed associated with agricultural sources. Participating farmers entered bids to achieve phosphorus loading reductions at the lowest cost by implementing conservation practices. Farmers whose bids are accepted are paid to achieve those reductions.

Learn More

Pay-for-Performance Agricultural Conservation: Rabbit River Watershed

Delta Institute (Delta) created a performance-based program for implementing agricultural best management practices to address sediment loading associated with agricultural sources, such as cropland erosion, livestock access, and road/bridge crossings that impacts habitat and water quality in the Rabbit River. Performance-based programs are a targeted approach to investing in conservation when traditional funding is limited. Instead of paying for specific farm practices, this project directs payments that are based on the net environmental improvements resulting from a comprehensive set of practices.

Learn More

Examining the State of Land Stewardship in Illinois

Traditionally, conservation land trusts have protected land, often restored it, and later transferred it to government entities for long-term ownership, which effectively transfers the responsibility of land stewardship to those governmental entities. Macro-economic and political issues have resulted in insufficient funding for governmental conservation agencies to purchase land from conservation land trusts. Furthermore, governmental conservation agencies may also lack sufficient funding to steward conservation lands that they’ve acquired. The project consisted of three phases, each aimed at considering the new approaches to conservation finance and building capacity to enable and enhance land stewardship.

Learn More

Soil Wealth: Financing Regenerative Agriculture

Delta Institute (Delta) and our partners released Soil Wealth: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture across Asset Classes, the most comprehensive look to date at investment opportunities in regenerative agriculture. The report provides an in-depth analysis not only of investments in farmland, but also of investment opportunities across asset classes that support regenerative agricultural value chains and food systems, including banking and cash equivalents, fixed-income investing in both public and private debt markets, public equities, and the private equity and venture capital market.

Learn More

Land Tenure and Conservation in Agriculture

Agricultural land management decisions are situated within a complex and interconnected system, influenced by a suite of social and economic factors, many of which are difficult to control. Landowners can, but often don’t, take it upon themselves to drive stewardship of their land. This report focuses on land ownership and tenure as levers to increase conservation and rebuild soil health in the Midwest, where over 50% of the agricultural land is leased.

Learn More

Financing Regenerative Agriculture: Wisconsin Pilot

Delta Institute (Delta) is designing new soil-health loan vehicles to allow farmers to more easily transition to regenerative agricultural practices. We have 5 loans underway in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin, and are seeking to scale in the year(s) ahead. Our project is enabling investments in—and therefore increasing the scale of—regenerative agriculture. We are engaging partners across the capital landscape to address barriers to investing, strengthen the business case for investment, develop tools that will improve investor literacy and accelerate deal flow, and demonstrate its innovative approach in Wisconsin as a pilot. The Wisconsin pilot is focused on building the investment case for the expansion of regenerative diversified small grains production and processing within the NRCS Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative.

Learn More

Support Us

Create a thriving Midwest for tomorrow by supporting Delta today.

Donate

Leave a Legacy

Get Involved

Menu

Close

Publications

Conservation Hotspot Analysis: Expanded Findings

Regenerative Agriculture Factsheet for Public Agencies

Land Value: Exploring the Current Agricultural Land Valuation System

Land Management through Leasing

Farmland Leasing Toolkit for Land Managers

Advocacy and Action for Incentivizing Conservation

Soil Wealth

State of Land Stewardship in Illinois

Land Tenure and Conservation in Agriculture

Valuing the Ecosystem Service Benefits from Regenerative Agriculture Practices

Integrated Strategies to Reduce Nutrient Loss and Regenerate Soils

Preparing for Long-Term Stewardship: A Dual Approach for Illinois

Projects

Conservation Hotspot Analysis in Illinois

Land Stewardship in Southeast Michigan

Phosphorus Reduction in the Kalamazoo River Watershed

Pay-for-Performance Agricultural Conservation: Rabbit River Watershed

Examining the State of Land Stewardship in Illinois

Soil Wealth: Financing Regenerative Agriculture

Land Tenure and Conservation in Agriculture

Financing Regenerative Agriculture: Wisconsin Pilot

Support Us

Subscribe to our newsletter

Who We Are

What We Do

Work With Us

Contact Us

Donate