Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association最新文献

Many policies and much money have been directed at improving food access in hopes that it will improve food security, yet evidence on the impact of food access has been mixed. In response, we estimate elasticities of food insecurity rates with respect to separate components of food access. We find empirical evidence that opening stores in underserved areas, keeping existing stores open, and improving access to transportation are all associated with lower rates of food insecurity and that these associations vary widely by geography. In comparison to other determinants of food insecurity, however, these associations are small in magnitude.

This study investigates how quality signaling, through packaging and lab test labels, affects farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for certified legume seeds in Myanmar. Using Becker-DeGroot-Marschak experiments with 500 chickpea and green gram farmers, results show that packaging and lab test labeling increase WTP for green gram seeds by 8%–12% but have no significant effect for chickpea. Despite low current usage, 42% of green gram and 23% of chickpea farmers are willing to pay above market prices, indicating strong demand. Farmer seed enterprises, offering the lowest prices, are best positioned to meet this demand with an effective quality signaling strategy.

Pesticides boost agricultural yields but bring environmental and climate concerns, driving a cycle of increased use. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) aims to lower pesticide reliance, yet it may impact ecosystems. This study examines consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for IPM-labeled fruits and the role of climate awareness. A survey of blueberry and cherry buyers shows the highest WTP for biocontrol over other IPM methods. After a climate intervention, WTP increased for all labels. Latent class analysis reveals three groups: pro-biocontrol, price-conscious, and pro-gene editing. These insights guide marketing, policymaking, and education on IPM's benefits and climate impact mitigation.

We demonstrate that unexpected increases in enforcement have a temporary but costly impact on labor supply among noncitizen farmworkers. Analyzing Current Population Survey data and immigration-related arrests, we find that unexpected increases in immigration arrests decrease labor force participation (LFP) among noncitizen farmworkers by up to 3.4 percentage points and reduce weekly work hours by up to 23.1% per month. These effects translate into a 1.38 percentage point decline in LFP and a 9.08% reduction in weekly hours worked across farmworkers. Our results suggest that localized enforcement exerts downward pressure on immigrant populations during periods when policies are not activated.

Irrigation drives the decline in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. Rapid adoption of water-conserving practices (WCPs) is key. Duration analysis of the adoption of computerized (polypipe) hole selection (CHS) and center-pivot (CP) irrigation in the Mississippi Delta shows that: NRCS funding for WCPs and crop acreage (cotton for CP and soybean for CHS) accelerate while farming experience, the establishment of a state task force and farming experience slows adoption. Farmer education accelerates but land ownership decelerates CHS adoption. Center pivot adoption slowed down as more farmers adopted it. Continuing educational programs introducing new practices early may accelerate WCP adoption.

We study how risk preferences and risk perceptions relate to three risky food behaviors—eating unwashed greens, rare meat, and raw dough—among US adults. Using two self-assessed measures of risk preference and an experimental measure, we find that increased risk aversion negatively correlates with risky food behaviors. Self-assessed risk measures in the general and food-at-home domains provide better model fit than the experimental one. Meanwhile, risk perceptions negatively correlate with risky food behaviors, especially when risk aversion is low. Heightened risk perceptions discourage risky food behaviors among males, Hispanics, and college graduates, underscoring risk perception's importance in behavior change.

This paper examines the corporatization of veterinary medicine and its impact on independent veterinary practices in the United States using a longitudinal data set from 2000 to 2021. Results show independent practices are 1.9% more likely to exit after corporate entry, with employment and revenue dropping 5.7% and 6.9%, respectively. Urban areas experience nearly double the impact of rural ones. Event studies reveal a delayed response, with revenue effects becoming statistically significant 6 years post-entry, reaching 18.7% in urban and 13.3% in rural areas. Co-location benefits have diminished since 2010, highlighting rising market power and adverse competition from corporate practices.

Recreation demand analysis has relied on mail and internet surveys to collect information on individual recreators. However, conducting these surveys is costly and time-consuming. Alternative sources that report aggregate visitation may go unused due to a lack of information about trip starting points. We set up and solve a system of equations that predict reservoir visits and the home locations of recreational anglers. Using mode-level effort statistics from Nebraska creel surveys, we separate the effects of travel cost and site attributes between bank and boat anglers, which allows us to measure heterogenous values for public reservoir access.

Research suggests that higher minimum wages can act as an antipoverty tool, potentially resulting in improved welfare outcomes such as reducing food insecurity. This study examines the impact of state minimum wage increases on food insecurity from 2010 to 2019. Using household-level data and quasi-experimental approaches, we find evidence that suggests state minimum wage increases reduce the prevalence of very low food insecurity. Also, we find some limited evidence suggesting that minimum wage increases reduce the severity of food insecurity. Our results on the effects of minimum wage increases on very low food security for low-income households hold across alternative methods.

Biodegradable plastics are slowly being introduced in the food industry to protect the environment, but consumer willingness to pay a premium remains uncertain. This study uses a choice experiment and latent class logit model to assess consumers' valuation for biodegradable plastic packaging and examines the impact of different information types on the willingness to pay estimates. Findings suggest that consumers are willing to pay a premium ($1.32) for biodegradable packaging over conventional options, with additional information increasing the willingness to pay by over $0.50. These results imply that higher prices may not deter consumers from choosing biodegradable plastic packaging.