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Evaluating How Conventional, Conservation, and Organic Farming Management Practices Enhance Soil Health and Improve Water Quality

800 532 Stroud Water Research Center

This project investigates how different agricultural management practices influence water quality and soil health. Using Rodale Institute’s 37-year-old Farming Systems Trial and a recent transition to organic farming at the Stroud Preserve, it examines the effect of farming techniques on water infiltration, runoff, and nutrient, contaminant, and sediment export. Results will inform practices that can reduce contamination and flooding in the Delaware River watershed.

(Project details may change over the lifespan of a project. The project description listed here is from the annual report of the most recent project year.)

Funded by: William Penn Foundation

Principal Investigators: Jinjun Kan, Melinda D. Daniels, Diana Oviedo Vargas, Marc Peipoch, David B. Arscott, Matthew J. Ehrhart, and Bernard W. Sweeney

Collaborating Organizations:

  • 2018–2020: Rodale Institute; University of Georgia
  • 2021–2023: College of William and Mary; Rodale Institute; University of Georgia

Project Years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023