On how environmental stringency influences adoption of best management practices in agriculture

There are relatively few Federal environmental regulations that influence agricultural production in the US. However, many local and state environmental rules may influence the management practices on US farms as might interactions between urban population centers and agricultural producers. Detailed analysis of corn farms gives insight into these relationships and suggests that stringent environmental regulations could increase the likelihood of adoption of certain conservation practices, all else being constant, but that the interaction between urban populations has less of an effect on the adoption decisions.     

Factors affecting the adoption of best management practices in southern Ontario

This paper examines the factors that affect the adoption of best management practices (BMPs) in Southern Ontario watersheds using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. A sample of 164 farmers was analyzed and triangulated with the results from in-depth interviews. The results suggest that farm and personal characteristics affect the adoption rate of BMPs and there should be financial incentives in order to create an enabling environment that will encourage the adoption of BMPs.     

The economics of bauxite and aluminium: Distributed lags and new econometric estimates

Bauxite supply and demand equations for the largest producers and consumers are estimated with 1958–1982 data. In specifications that include industrial activity indexes, substitute prices and energy costs, these regressors improve the fits and are statistically significant. The own price variable, the Koyck-Nerlove lagged dependent variable, or both, become insignificant, or their estimated coefficients are substantially altered, in relation to their values in price-only models, which overestimate the own price impact and the gap between long- and short-term effects. Industrial activity is the main determinant, followed by the other new regressors. The Jamaican response to price is perverse and significant.     

Review of socio-economic drivers of community acceptance and adoption of decentralised water systems

The aim of this paper is to highlight key social and economic drivers crucial to understanding community acceptance and adoption of decentralised water systems. The review focused on social science literature pertaining to alternative forms of household water, with an emphasis on research examining decentralised water acceptance. Researchers consistently reported that most communities were open to alternative water sources for domestic applications; however, this was highly dependent upon the level of personal contact with the water. Acceptance and adoption of alternative water technology, such as decentralised systems, was influenced by risk perception, water culture, and threat perception. Motivational drivers were also identified as potentially influencing adoption of decentralised systems. A clear limitation of the literature was found to be an over-reliance on measuring people's intentions to adopt alternative water systems and building a conceptual understanding of acceptance solely on hypothetical water supply scenarios. Further, within the social science literature there appears to be a skewing towards focusing on acceptance of centralised alternative water, such as recycled and desalinated water systems. Although there are some research outcomes that are generalizable to the decentralised water context, it is clear that there is a significant gap in the knowledge base of social drivers specific to the acceptance of decentralised water systems and the factors contributing to its widespread use. It is recommended that future research focus on examining public attitudes relevant to decentralised water systems, as well as adoption behaviours among current users of these systems. This will assist in developing policies specific to domestic decentralised water use.     

Natural resource economics: Relevance in planning and management

This article provides an overview of natural resource economics. It begins with a summary of historical and current views on resource scarcity. It then discusses economic models for optimal management of non-renewable and renewable resources at the micro and macro levels and evaluates their usefulness in planning, management and policy making.     

Dry land tree management for improved household livelihoods: farmer managed natural regeneration in Niger

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), a set of practices farmers use to foster the growth of indigenous trees on agricultural land, has drawn substantial attention as a contributing factor to a trend of increasing vegetation greenness in the Republic of Niger. This paper identifies drivers of FMNR adoption and assesses its impacts on rural households in the Region of Maradi, Niger, an area covering 42,000 square kilometers. The results show that 26% of households practice a form of FMNR involving both pruning and protecting woody vegetation. Adoption is strongly linked to soil type, market access, and the education level of the head of household. FMNR raises household income and increases crop diversity, household migration rates, and the density and diversity of trees on farmland. It is estimated that FMNR raises the annual gross income of the region by between 17 and 21 million USD and has contributed an additional 900,000 to 1,000,000 trees to the local environment. These findings support the value of continued promotion of FMNR as an inexpensive means of enhancing rural livelihoods and an attractive alternative to reforestation efforts relying on tree planting.     

The value of mineral resources: Perspectives and conflicts

The concept of value is central to mineral economics as it is all branches of economics. In the minerals sphere particular problems are posed for a theory of value by, firstly, the non- renewability of mineral resources, secondly the substantial effort that must be made to convert a mineral into a useful product, and finally the perception of minerals, both economically and symbolically, as peculiarly national forms of wealth. Some thoughts are offered on different approaches to mineral resource valuation and on the frequently conflicting principles of exploitation to which these various approaches give rise.     

Mixed methodology to analyze the relationship between maturity of environmental management and the adoption of green supply chain management in Brazil

The aim of this research is to verify the relationship between the maturity levels of environmental management and the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices by electro-electronic companies in Brazil. In this work a two-phase research was conducted, with one quantitative and the other qualitative. The quantitative phase aimed to test whether a relationship between the maturity levels of environmental management and GSCM exists, while the qualitative phase tried to detail the characteristics of this relationship. The quantitative phase was conducted through a survey with 100 Brazilian electro-electronic companies and the collected data were processed using Structural Equation Modeling. For the qualitative phase, a multiple case study was conducted with three companies located in Brazil. The results indicate that: (1) The main hypothesis was confirmed and considered statistically valid, indicating that, indeed, the maturity level of environmental management influences the adoption of GSCM practices; (2) a coevolution tends to occur between the environmental maturity and the GSCM practices; that is, the more developed is the company's environmental management, more complex GSCM practices are adopted; and (3) the GSCM internal practices tend to present a greater relative adoption than the external practices; these external practices of GSCM tend to be adopted when the company is inserted in a higher environmental stage and/or operates under a scenario of stronger normative environmental pressure. By the way, this is the first research mixing survey and case studies on GSCM in Brazil.     

The law and economics of reclamation bonds

It is becoming a standard practice for governments to require mining operations to post reclamation bonds. Yet, there have been few theoretical treatments examining the rationale for bonding mechanisms, and even fewer empirical treatments of the effectiveness of bonding. This paper addresses some of these holes in the literature. It begins by examining the rationale underlying reclamation bonds, and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of bonding as a tool for enforcing reclamation requirements. The role of bonding mechanisms is to help enforce standards, not necessarily yield efficient outcomes, and these mechanisms are best viewed as a complement to — not a substitute for — liability rules. The paper also examines the effectiveness of bonding by drawing on evidence from hardrock mining on public lands in the western United States.     

The economics of tire remanufacturing

The world market for tires is described to identify the current material flow from raw materials to tires and the used tire disposal problem. Then, I describe the value-adding operations in the tire production process and in the tire retreading process. Once retreading is identified as the only recovery alternative that maximizes tire utilization, I explain why heat generation is the only recovery alternative, when retreading is not technically feasible. The economic values of heat generation in electric plants and in cement kilns are discussed. The paper culminates with the case of retreading, the tire remanufacturing process and the recommendation of a simple decision rule for selecting the number of times a tire should be retreaded to maximize its utilization.     

The economics of uranium demand

The major characteristics of the demand for uranium are identified, and a number of factors which determine the actual level of uranium requirements of the nuclear power industry are discussed. Since the role of inventories is central to the process of short-term price formation, by comparing projections of uranium production and apparent consumption, the relative level of total inventories is calculated and an assessment is made of its likely impact on the uranium market during the 1980s.     

The economics of waste disposal in the UK

The author takes a simplified look at the structure of waste disposal costs in the UK. The immediate impression is that landfill costs are so significantly cheaper than other disposal options, on average, that considerable escalation in landfill costs, for whatever reason, would be needed to make it lose its predominance. The analysis also demonstrates that the more futuristic technologies may well have a role to play provided the initial estimates of per tonne costs are borne out by commercial ventures.     

Population dynamics and the economics of invasive species management: the greenhouse whitefly in California-grown strawberries

In agriculture, relatively few efficacious control measures may be available for an invasive pest. In the case of a new insect pest, insecticide use decisions are affected by regulations associated with its registration, insect population dynamics, and seasonal market price cycles. We assess the costs and benefits of environmental regulations designed to regulate insecticide applications on an invasive species. We construct a bioeconomic model, based on detailed scientific data, of management decisions for a specific invasion: greenhouse whiteflies in California-grown strawberries. The empirical model integrates whitefly population dynamics, the effect of whitefly feeding on strawberry yields, and weekly strawberry price. We use the model to assess the optimality of alternative treatment programs on a simulated greenhouse whitefly population. Our results show that regulations may lead growers to "under-spray" when placed in an economic context, and provide some general lessons about the design of optimal invasive species control policies.     

The ‘new’ economics of iron and steel

The author commences his analysis of the iron and steel industry by examining the historical background of the industry, and discusses its importance for the world economy. He examines the implications for the world industry of the successful development of the steel industry in Japan, and traces the evolution of a commodity cartel in the iron ore market, analysing the price levels of the commodity in the ‘free’ and ‘controlled’ markets. Following a discussion of the role of energy and coking coal supplies in the industry, the author examines the evolution of this industry in the less developed countries, with particular reference to the role of technology in the industry's development. He concludes that there have been important structural changes in the world industry, embraced by the concept of ‘partial demise’.     

Why farmers adopt best management practice in the United States: a meta-analysis of the adoption literature

This meta-analysis of both published and unpublished studies assesses factors believed to influence adoption of agricultural Best Management Practices in the United States. Using an established statistical technique to summarize the adoption literature in the United States, we identified the following variables as having the largest impact on adoption: access to and quality of information, financial capacity, and being connected to agency or local networks of farmers or watershed groups. This study shows that various approaches to data collection affect the results and comparability of adoption studies. In particular, environmental awareness and farmer attitudes have been inconsistently used and measured across the literature. This meta-analysis concludes with suggestions regarding the future direction of adoption studies, along with guidelines for how data should be presented to enhance the adoption of conservation practices and guide research.     

Occurrence and fate of the phytotoxin juglone in alley soils under black walnut trees

Juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-napthoquinone) is a chemical released by walnut trees, which can be toxic at various levels to several plant species. A balance among competing source and sink mechanisms and rates will ultimately determine whether juglone is capable of attaining sufficient levels to be allelopathic to intercrops in a walnut tree agroforestry system. In this study, juglone's release, accumulation, and decline in soil are explored using data from soil beneath a black walnut tree (Juglans nigra L) alley cropping system, greenhouse pot studies, and laboratory sorption/degradation studies. Juglone pore water concentrations estimated from extracts of surficial soil from beneath the alley cropping system exceeded the lowest solution culture toxicity levels reported for some plants of 10(-7) M, but did not exceed the inhibition threshold reported for typical intercrops such as maize and soybeans 10(-5) M. Further assessment of the likely persistence of juglone in soils indicated that juglone is both microbially and abiotically degraded, and that it will be particularly short-lived in soils supporting microbial activity. However, walnut seedlings planted in sand-filled pots clearly showed that juglone is released in measurable quantities to the soil's rhizosphere. Therefore, juglone accumulation in low fertility soils is plausible, and may still be worthy of consideration in management of alley agroforestry systems.     

湖北稻区农业资源特点和耕作方式新发展

本文论证了湖北稻区的资源具有三大特点。因此,认定该区应细分为:东南部早三熟双季稻区,中部单、双季稻两热三熟并存区,西北部单季稻两熟区。笔者认为,本区近10年发展麦稻、油稻稻、油稻减少肥稻稻、肥稻其主流是好的;讨论了紫云英大量减步后如何解决有机肥源匮乏的问题。主张今后应积极开发冬种,积极提倡冬作起厢分带间套,既稳定大宗作物的发展,又增产经作、饲料、蔬菜、绿肥,以提高稻田的经济效益。     

The On-Ranch Economics of Riparian Zone Cattle Grazing Management

A simulation model of a cattle ranch based in southern Alberta, Canada was developed to evaluate the on-ranch economics of adopting different grazing management strategies to improve riparian grazing capacity in natural grass rangeland. Under low-cost scenarios, there are positive economic incentives to adopt strategies to maintain riparian zones that already have high grazing capacity. However, riparian zones that have declined to moderate or low grazing capacity may require additional economic incentives to encourage ranches to adopt more costly management strategies to improve the grazing capacity. The economic incentives to adopt costly management strategies are highly sensitive to the size and shape of the riparian zone and rates of grazing capacity decline or improvement.     

Farm-level irrigation and the marginal cost of water use: evidence from Georgia

We create a proxy for the cost of irrigation water in Georgia from a sample of Georgia irrigators by investigating the marginal cost of pumping groundwater. We then combine this proxy with agronomic and climatic variables to estimate the response of agricultural water use to differences in the marginal cost of irrigation. The results show that pumping costs are a significant determinant of water use, and imply that agricultural water use would be moderately affected by institutional changes that would explicitly price water.     

Uncertainty in exhaustible natural resource economics: The irreversible sunk costs of Hotelling

According to Pindyck (2007) there are three important aspects of uncertainly in environmental economics: (1) the benefits and costs of environmental policy tend to be highly non-linear, (2) environmental policy tends to involve important irreversibilities, where investment in pollution abatement can impose an irreversible, sunk cost on society, and where certain pollutants can stay in the environment forever and build up to cause even more future harm in which case investment in abatement can cause an irreversible, sunk benefit to society, and (3) environmental policy involves long time horizons and yet the discount rate society should use is uncertain for determining the net present value of costs and benefits of pollution abatement. These same uncertainties also affect non-renewable, exhaustible, natural resource economics and in particular the use of the Hotelling rule: (1) the costs, benefits and transversality conditions of using the Hotelling rule can be highly non-linear, (2) the Hotelling rule involves important sunk cost irreversibilities, which will be explained here, and (3) the Hotelling rule can involve long time horizons with uncertain discount rates. All three of these problem make it extremely difficult for a market to use in any way the Hotelling rule, yet by the sheer number of articles in non-renewable natural resource economics, one would believe that it is the basis of all resource markets. In this article, we concentrate on the sunk cost irreversibilities of using the Hotelling rule. The idea of the Hotelling rule is to optimally store a non-renewable resource, but the optimization is highly dependent on the actual reserves that are available to extract. However, reserves of underground exhaustible resources are often unobservable at the beginning stages of extraction which makes using the Hotelling Rule difficult.