Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics最新文献

Pesticide resistance is a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly worrying. Heavy reliance on pesticides in the agricultural sector is at the core of this problem. In this paper, we analyse how farmers' pest control strategies can reduce pesticide resistance. We show that Integrated Pest Management is effective in limiting the growth of pesticide resistance. However, because one farmer's choices affect those of their neighbours, externalities remain and public policies are needed. We analyse two tax systems where one is polluting input-oriented and the other is result-oriented. We derive conditions under which both tax systems lead to socially optimal strategies. We show that a result-oriented scheme needs less information on farmers' time preferences.

Genebanks contribute to the development of improved crop varieties through the conservation and supply of diverse germplasm for use in agricultural research by scientists, such as plant breeders. Tracing their contribution to the welfare and poverty impacts of improved varieties on smallholder farmers presents multiple challenges, as the germplasm is distributed to users globally and a crop improvement programme can take as long as 10 years to develop a new improved variety that can be released to farmers. We examine the relationship between genetic ancestry, development of improved groundnut varieties and poverty reduction among smallholder households in Malawi. First, we apportion the genetic ancestry and relative provenance of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics genes of each variety and relate them to genebanks using pedigree data and expert interviews. We then leverage a three-wave household-level panel dataset with several estimation strategies, including panel and pseudo-panel fixed effect estimators, to examine the association between genetic ancestry, the adoption of improved groundnut varieties and household welfare. We establish a positive association between genetic ancestry and the development of improved groundnut varieties. We find a positive association between the adoption of improved groundnut varieties and household income, assets and livestock (wealth). Improved groundnut varieties are also negatively associated with poverty indices. Our findings lend support and credence to continued investments in global efforts to conserve and widely distribute diverse genetic materials for crop improvement.

Recreational-related ecosystem services are culturally and economically significant activities that involve the direct interaction between people and the environment. In this study, we focus on cultural ecosystem services relating to recreational fishing—that is, the direct experiential benefits to individuals and communities associated with recreational fishing. Although monetary valuations of recreational fishing (using welfare values) are well established, their integration into ecosystem accounts remains limited. Ecosystem accounts require exchange values—values that the ecosystem service may realise if a market for such services existed. This paper addresses that gap by developing monetary ecosystem accounts for recreational fishing in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Australia, using the System of Environmental Economic Accounting—Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA) framework. We apply the simulated exchange value (SEV) method to estimate accounting values consistent with SEEA EA and complement these with welfare values to provide a more comprehensive view of the benefits derived from recreational fishing. The study presents supply and use tables and auxiliary accounts. As such, it contributes to a small but growing set of examples that can be used to guide future ecosystem account development for recreational fishing as well as other recreational-related ecosystem services.

Recreational-related ecosystem services are culturally and economically significant activities that involve the direct interaction between people and the environment. In this study, we focus on cultural ecosystem services relating to recreational fishing—that is, the direct experiential benefits to individuals and communities associated with recreational fishing. Although monetary valuations of recreational fishing (using welfare values) are well established, their integration into ecosystem accounts remains limited. Ecosystem accounts require exchange values—values that the ecosystem service may realise if a market for such services existed. This paper addresses that gap by developing monetary ecosystem accounts for recreational fishing in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Australia, using the System of Environmental Economic Accounting—Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA) framework. We apply the simulated exchange value (SEV) method to estimate accounting values consistent with SEEA EA and complement these with welfare values to provide a more comprehensive view of the benefits derived from recreational fishing. The study presents supply and use tables and auxiliary accounts. As such, it contributes to a small but growing set of examples that can be used to guide future ecosystem account development for recreational fishing as well as other recreational-related ecosystem services.

Water scarcity is a significant challenge for farmers in major rice-producing countries, as traditional rice production typically requires rice fields to remain flooded throughout the growing season. Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is a water management technique developed for rice cultivation where rice fields are allowed to dry intermittently. This paper evaluated the causal impact of the AWD irrigation technique on water savings and rice yields in a large-scale gravity-based irrigation system in the Philippines. Using a 2-year panel data set from a trial based on a random encouragement design, we employ a difference-in-differences empirical strategy and conduct a number of robustness checks (e.g., propensity score matching, changes-in-changes and Kinky least squares) to achieve the study objective. We find strong positive impacts on water savings and no penalty in terms of rice yields when farmers are randomly encouraged to adopt AWD. Results from the heterogeneity analysis indicate that midstream farmers save the most amount of water and upstream and midstream farmers typically experience larger yield impacts. Findings highlight AWD's potential to address water scarcity and adapt to climate change, suggesting that water stress in major rice-producing regions can be mitigated through broader adoption of AWD. The study also points to the need for more targeted promotion efforts and policy strategies to ensure more equitable water distribution in gravity irrigation systems.

Water scarcity is a significant challenge for farmers in major rice-producing countries, as traditional rice production typically requires rice fields to remain flooded throughout the growing season. Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is a water management technique developed for rice cultivation where rice fields are allowed to dry intermittently. This paper evaluated the causal impact of the AWD irrigation technique on water savings and rice yields in a large-scale gravity-based irrigation system in the Philippines. Using a 2-year panel data set from a trial based on a random encouragement design, we employ a difference-in-differences empirical strategy and conduct a number of robustness checks (e.g., propensity score matching, changes-in-changes and Kinky least squares) to achieve the study objective. We find strong positive impacts on water savings and no penalty in terms of rice yields when farmers are randomly encouraged to adopt AWD. Results from the heterogeneity analysis indicate that midstream farmers save the most amount of water and upstream and midstream farmers typically experience larger yield impacts. Findings highlight AWD's potential to address water scarcity and adapt to climate change, suggesting that water stress in major rice-producing regions can be mitigated through broader adoption of AWD. The study also points to the need for more targeted promotion efforts and policy strategies to ensure more equitable water distribution in gravity irrigation systems.