Suchergebnisse

Building on the extensive theoretical and empirical work regarding the cost-minimizing properties of economic instruments, this article describes and analyses the Mexican legislation relevant to the treatment/disposal of pig slurry in the state of Yucatan. Using a linear programming model to determine the optimal level of pig production and abatement processes simultaneously, different policy instruments and scenarios are compared. Serious shortcomings associated with the recently introduced command and control (CAC) legislation, which establishes concentration based standards for discharges, are identified. It is shown that it will be extremely difficult and expensive to comply with (cost: US$41.8 million per annum). An alternative mass based CAC approach, which instead regulates nitrogen applications to land, has compliance costs of US$3.5 US$9.4 million per annum, depending on the strictness of the standard. By contrast, an environmentally equivalent economic instrument approach results in additional cost savings of 22 25 per cent. The results are of relevance to Mexican policy makers, extensionists, researchers, and farmers.

This paper adapts the safe minimum standard (SMS) approach so as to explore its use as a potential policy decision support tool that can be applied to issues related to the conservation and sustainable use of farm animal genetic resource (AnGR) diversity. Empirical SMS cost estimates are obtained using data from three AnGR economics case studies in Mexico and Italy. The findings support our hypothesis that the costs of implementing an SMS are low, both when compared with the size of subsidies currently being provided to the livestock sector (<1 percent of the total subsidy) and with regard to the benefits of conservation (benefit-cost ratio of >2.9).Nevertheless, despite providing a potentially useful AnGR conservation decision support tool, a critical assessment of the application reveals that a much more extensive quantification of the components required to determine SMS costs needs to be undertaken before this tool can be applied in practice.

Building on the extensive theoretical and empirical work regarding the cost-minimizing properties of economic instruments, this article describes and analyses the Mexican legislation relevant to the treatment/disposal of pig slurry in the state of Yucatán. Using a linear programming model to determine the optimal level of pig production and abatement processes simultaneously, different policy instruments and scenarios are compared. Serious shortcomings associated with the recently introduced command-and-control (CAC) legislation, which establishes concentration-based standards for discharges, are identified. It is shown that it will be extremely difficult and expensive to comply with (cost: US$41.8 million per annum). An alternative mass-based CAC approach, which instead regulates nitrogen applications to land, has compliance costs of US$3.5–US$9.4 million per annum, depending on the strictness of the standard. By contrast, an environmentally equivalent economic instrument approach results in additional cost savings of 22–25 per cent. The results are of relevance to Mexican policy makers, extensionists, researchers, and farmers.

Genetic erosion of domestic animal diversity has placed 30% of the world's breeds at risk of extinction, often as a result of government policy/programmes. Conservation and sustainable development of animal genetic resources (AnGR) require a broad focus that includes the many 'adaptive' breeds that survive well in the low external input agriculture typical of developing countries. Environmental economic valuation methodologies have an important role to play in supporting decisions regarding which breeds should be conserved and how this should be done. However, AnGR. in general, and valuation methods in particular, have received very little attention. This paper provides a survey of the methods available for the valuation of AnGR and the steps that must be taken in order to test some of the more promising methodologies in practice.

Genetic erosion of domestic animal diversity has placed 30% of the world's breeds at risk of extinction, often as a result of government policy/programmes. Conservation and sustainable development of animal genetic resources (AnGR) require a broad focus that includes the many 'adaptive' breeds that survive well in the low external input agriculture typical of developing countries. Environmental economic valuation methodologies have an important role to play in supporting decisions regarding which breeds should be conserved and how this should be done. However, AnGR, in general, and valuation methods in particular, have received very little attention. This paper provides a survey of the methods available for the valuation of AnGR and the steps that must be taken in order to test some of the more promising methodologies in practice.

The purpose of this book is to assess a variety of economic issues as they relate to agro-biodiversity and show how addressing these issues can assist in agro-biodiversity policy-making. This is illustrated using empirical data from some of the countries (Ethiopia, Nepal and Zambia) which are part of the Genetic Resources Policy Initiative. The empirical chapters apply the relevant economic methods, including regression analysis, choice experiments, hedonic pricing, contingent valuation and farm business income analysis.The authors discuss the economics of managing crop diversity on-farm in th

La actividad porcícola se ha convertido en una de las más importantes en el Estado de Yucatán, lo cual ha provocado un crecimiento acelerado en la población de cerdos. Las características naturales de la región la hacen muy vulnerable a la descarga de aguas residuales; lo anterior se aúna al aumento del número de animales en el estado y agrava los problemas por contaminación, especialmente del agua del manto freático. En este artículo se estudian la estructura del sector porcícola con relación a la generación de aguas residuales, la importancia de un manejo adecuado en el uso del agua en las granjas porcícolas y los factores que influyen en la cantidad del agua residual generada.

Ankole cattle are well known for their massive white horns and red coat colour. These characteristics are attributed to centuries of cultural breeding practices. Two experiments with traditional cattle keepers were carried out at a governmental Ankole nucleus farm in south-western Uganda to identify phenotypic characteristics as well as production and fitness traits which are important indigenous selection criteria. Forty one body measurements each were taken from 15 bulls and 35 cows and phenotypic characteristics were described in detail. In the first experiment 12 groups of 6 to 8 cattle keepers were invited to rank several groups of 4–5 animals according to their preference for a breeding bull or cow based on phenotype alone. In the second experiment the ranking was based on phenotype and a hypothetical life history that was randomly assigned to each animal on each day of experiment. The history included milk yield (on own performance for cows and that of the dam for bulls), fertility of the animal and its sire as well as events of East Coast Fever. For analysis, Generalized Multinomial Logit Models were fitted. To compare different models the likelihood-based pseudo R square measure was used. The results indicate that, in the selection of cows, performance and fitness traits are emphasized by the cattle keepers while in the selection of bulls, the phenotypic appearance of the animal plays an important role. Individual fertility followed by milk performance are the main criteria for selecting cows, resistance to East Coast Fever was of highest importance in bulls. In both sexes a dark red coat colour was highly rated. The study indicates that the methodology of preference ranking combining phenotype and a hypothetical life history may provide insight into indigenous selection criteria of stock owners elsewhere.