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Show TABLE 2.-Summary of major deficiencies in basic economic data needed for river basin planning-Continued Item of deficiency Description of deficiency Need for the data Comment and recommendation B. Functional studies: 1. Agriculture: Inventory of land use and ownership. Estimates of conserva- tion needs. Costs of land develop- ment. Prices of farm products- Economic relationships of weather and floods. Economic aspects of land classification. Important deficiencies are the major uses and ownership classes of rural land outside farms by different types of cover correlated with other characteristics of the land, such as, its productive value. More precise and complete estimates are needed of the extent and char- acter of the total land and water conservation job and the time in which it should be completed in order to maintain the suitable agri- cultural area in use. Data on the conservation works installed, areas covered, and effectiveness of instal- lations also are needed. Information is insufficient for the on- the-farm costs of land improvement measures, such as, clearing, dram- age, preparing land for irrigation, the cost of irrigation water to users and beneficial effects, reclaiming gullied land, seeding pastures, ranges and other measures and prac- tices used in the land phase of river basin development and watershed management. Data on prices of farm products are essential in river basin planning in order to convert production esti- mates into income estimates. Weather and flood data and informa- tion on important economic rela- tionships of weather and floods are inadequate in some regions. A larger number of weather recording stations is needed in several agricul- tural and forest areas with the obser- vations correlated with data for planting and harvest dates, crop and pasture yields and quality, as well as for crop damages and extra costs resulting from weather and floods. An inventory of areas and production of land suitable for development, and the new land currently being developed by clearing, drainage, and irrigation is vitally needed to help in projection of agricultural produc- tion trends, probable needs, land requirements, and potential lands available. Information on major uses of land out- side farms is needed periodically similar to the census of land in farms. In preliminary examinations and surveys of river basins and in water- shed management specific data by counties on the use, cover and own- ership of all land are essential for intelligent action. As additional river basin and related land and water programs are devel- oped the problem of maintaining an up-to-date inventory of needs and accomplishments will become in- creasingly important in the interest of wise investment and economical administration of installation and watershed management programs. For analyzing costs and probable re- turns in planning needed land meas- ures and in judgment by farmers as to whether they can afford the im- provements. Cost and income estimates are needed in the economic analysis of proposed projects and component measures. Studies of prices and costs also are necessary to make a determination of the relationship between with- drawals from the land and additions necessary for production and main- tenance. More complete coverage of the country by weather and flood information is needed to guide further agricultural developments and watershed man- agement programs. Investigation of land areas believed to have potentialities should precede actual construction planning so as to aid in selection of good land for development. The necessary data possibly can be obtained in one of two ways: (a) In- corporation of appropriate questions and procedure in the Census of Agri- culture which will permit assembly of information by counties on major uses and ownership classes of all rural land, and (b) a survey conducted possibly in cooperation with State and county officials utilizing avail- able airphotos, maps, land and assessment records. The needed data can be obtained by establishing more uniform procedures for use of interested public agencies for classification and annual report- ing on estimates of needs, plans, and areas covered by necessary land treatments and water control meas- ures. This procedure could be made a part of the present system of pub- lished annual reports, and would make it possible to obtain total na- tional balance sheet of conservation needs, estimates and installations, excluding duplications. Needed data could be obtained by a few sample surveys to represent the different major situations of the country. Urban and industrial con- struction costs generally are not applicable to farm costs. The price data collected by the State agricultural statisticians generally can be supplemented to reflect local conditions in current river basin planning. Periodic studies to esti- mate the expected future general price level for various commodities also are desirable. The necessary data could be obtained by increasing the present program ot weather data collection and analysis and by relating agricultural data on. crop and pasture yields, condition, and quality to the seasonal weather records. The necessary data can be obtained by continuation and expansion of soil survey, and land classification work, in river basins believed to have good potentialities for further land de- velopment. 367 |