Jonathan Winsten

1. www.winrock.org
Enabling the Flow of Ecosystem Services from
Agriculture to Improve Puerto Rico's Water
Quality and Mitigate Global Climate Change
Jonathan Winsten, Ph.D. Luis Perez-Alegria, Ph.D.,
P.E.
Agricultural Economist Agricultural Engineer
Winrock International UPR - Mayaguez

2. www.winrock.org
Project Objectives
• To reduce nutrient losses to surface and ground water
and to reduce N2O emissions to the atmosphere.
• To increase farmer flexibility and motivation to provide
ecosystem services.
• To reduce the costs of effective conservation by
fostering innovation through outcome-based incentives
to farmers.
• To develop additional farm revenue streams for the
production of ecosystem services from agriculture in
Puerto Rico.

3. www.winrock.org
Approach
• Assess nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrate (NO3)
impacts of alternative management practices.
• Develop a quantification methodology for
stacked ecosystem service (ES) credits.
• Identify specific areas for most cost-effective
emissions reductions.
• Estimate regional supply curve for ES credits.

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Background
• Crucial issues:
– Climate change
– Water quality
– Global food security
• Nitrous oxide (N2O) has 298 times the radiative
forcing of carbon dioxide (CO2)
• N2O is 5% of U.S. GHG emissions
– 74% is from agriculture
• Agriculture is the leading source NPS pollution
to ground and surface waters in the U.S.

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Background (cont’d)
• Food production and environmental quality
have inherent trade-offs.
• Regulations can decrease productivity and
increase costs.
• Conservation programs focus on practices, not
outcomes.
• Outcome-based incentives can serve as a
“price” for pollution control.
• Environmental management becomes
incorporated into farm business planning.

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Ecosystem Service Credit Stacking
• Credit Stacking –
– multiple payments for different ecosystem services
from the same parcel of land.
• Credit Bundling –
– a single payment for multiple ecosystem services.
– not intended to be the sum of individual ES values.
• Stacking GHG and WQ credits should
incentivize greater production of ES
credits.

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Environmental Markets
• Carbon offset markets –
– Functioning voluntary and compliance markets exist
– Carbon sequestration has revenue potential for
farmers
– Sequestration is reversible, N2O reductions are not
– Revenue potential for farmers seems small
• Water quality markets –
– Revenue potential for farmers seems significant
– Functioning markets do not exist in most locations
– Scientific quantification protocols are needed

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Project Site

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Banana/Plantain Production
• Important staple food crop worldwide
• Over 100 million metric tons produced per year
• Significant revenue potential for producers
• Heavy N application rates
– Sometimes in excess of 700 lbs N/acre

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Treatments
• Control:
– 300 lbs N/acre
• Slow Release N
– Polymer-coated granules
– 300 lbs N/acre
• Two Reduced N Rates
– 215 lbs N/acre
– 0 lbs N/acre

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Manual Chambers

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1
2
3
Plantain GHG chamber placement
Irrigation
Plantain row
Alley (between rows)
Plantain
GHG chamber
3 x chamber per ‘site’
(in row [close to plant], between plants, in alley)
3 x ‘sites’ per treatment
1 background chamber per treatment
4 x treatments (control + 3 treatments)
40 chambers used per sample day
‘Top’ view

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N2O Sampling
• 160 samples collected per sampling day
– 4 treatments, 9 chambers/treatment, 4 samples/chamber
• 50 sampling days over growing cycle
• Trained 4 students, 2 professors, and 1 lab technician
• Samples shipped and analyzed at MSU

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Training on Gas Sampling

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Surface and Groundwater Sampling
• 8 lysimeters to be installed
– 4 at 12”
– 4 at 24”
• 4 surface runoff traps
– 1 per treatment
– Placed between two center rows

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Quantification Methodology
• Calibration and validation of Nutrient Tracking
Tool (NTT) using measurement data.
• Methodology will:
– Define eligible practice(s)
– Outline applicability conditions
– Define project boundaries (geographic, temporal)
– Determine the baseline scenario
– Describe quantification methods / tools (for baseline and with-project
scenarios, including uncertainty assessment)
– Guide data collection/parameter monitoring requirements
• Submitted to expert panel for scientific peer
review

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Linking to Environmental Markets
• American Carbon Registry (ACR) has expressed
interest in registering WQ credits from
agriculture that are linked to GHG credits.
• Farmers or aggregators will be able to register
verified WQ and GHG reductions for sale.

18. www.winrock.org
Creating Spatial Supply Curves
• Conduct Monte Carlo and regression analysis to
develop prediction equations for nutrient and
GHG reductions based on biophysical attributes.
• Use GIS to apply prediction equations across
the relevant geographic region (MLRA 273).
• Identify specific areas with greatest reduction
potential and cost-effectiveness.
• Sum across polygons to estimate supply curves
for WQ and GHG credits.

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Acknowledgements
• Funded by USDA-NIFA
• Valuable input from:
– Dr. Neville Millar
– Kellogg Biological Station
– Edwin Almodovar, USDA-NRCS State
Conservationist for Puerto Rico
– Angel Dieppa – Jobos Bay National Estuarine
Research Reserve

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Contact Information
Jonathan R. Winsten, Ph.D.
Winrock International
Email: jwinsten@winrock.org
Tel: (802) 343-3037
Luis Perez-Alegria, Ph.D.
University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez
Email: luisr.perez1@upr.edu
Tel: 787.832.4040 x 3337