ABSTRACT
How might farmers respond to the alternative futures described in Chapter 4? To begin to anticipate their responses, we conducted in-depth interviews with Iowa farmers, visiting them in their homes or businesses. From these interviews, we learned that farmers recognize the value of alternative agricultural policies, practices, and technologies that improve environmental quality—even if future agricultural landscapes look very different from those of today and suggest new management challenges. Based on their perceptions, we were also able to map farmers' relative preference for different land covers in the two study watersheds (Walnut Creek and Buck Creek; Color Figures 44 and 45). This allowed us to compare overall preference for the three alternative scenarios and the baseline landscape from the perspective of Iowa farmers. The comparison showed that in both the flat, productive landscape of Walnut Creek (Color Figure 6) and the rolling, more erosive landscape of Buck Creek (Color Figure 10), farmers found Scenario 3 (Color Figure 18), which emphasized enhanced biodiversity, to be best for the future of the people of Iowa. Scenario 2 (Color Figure 17), which emphasized enhanced water quality, ranked a close second.
