SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

Eerola, Essi; Huhtala, Anni.

The material contained herein is supplementary to the article named in the title and published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Environmental Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7108

An integrated simulation model to evaluate national policies for the abatement of agricultural nutrients in the Baltic Sea

Hyytiainen, Kari; Ahtiainen, Heini; Heikkila, Jaakko; Helin, Janne; Huhtala, Anni; Iho, Antti; Koikkalainen, Kauko; Miettinen, Antti; Pouta, Eija; Vesterinen, Janne.

This study introduces a prototype model for evaluating policies to abate agricultural nutrients in the Baltic Sea from a Finnish national point of view. The stochastic simulation model integrates nutrient dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus in the sea basins adjoining the Finnish coast, nutrient loads from land and other sources, benefits from nutrient abatement (in the form of recreation and other ecosystem services) and the costs of agricultural abatement activities. The aim of this study is to present the overall structure of the model and to demonstrate its potential using preliminary parameters. The model is made flexible for further improvements in all of its ecological and economic components. Results of a sensitivity analysis suggest that...

Discerning welfare impacts of public provision of recreation areas

Palavras-chave: Ecosystem services; Nutrient abatement; Monte Carlo simulation; Recreation; Valuation; Environmental Economics and Policy; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/49896

Huhtala, Anni; Pouta, Eija.

This study presents a framework for investigating responses to the supply of public recreation opportunities when supply affects both probability of use and frequency of use days. These components are used to estimate the marginal social net benefits of an exogenous increase in the supply of public recreation opportunities. The study investigates distributional patterns of visiting behavior and benefit estimates for alternative supply strategies, i.e., reduced distance or increased acreage. The results indicate that the probability of participation and the number of use days respond differently to alternative supply strategies and that response varies by income group.

EFFICIENCY IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION OF BIODIVERSITY: ORGANIC VS. CONVENTIONAL PRACTICES

Palavras-chave: Resource /Energy Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/11860

Sipilainen, Timo; Marklund, Per-Olov; Huhtala, Anni.

Promotion of environmental sustainable farming practices is an important policy goal for the whole agricultural sector. However, when the efficiency of production is measured in practice, enhancement of environmental quality such as biodiversity and other environmental amenities does not seem to be recognized as a positive output produced by agriculture. Here, we include crop diversity index as an indicator of environmental output in a comparison of efficiency of conventional and organic crop farms. Non-parametric technical efficiency scores are estimated applying data envelopment analysis on a sample of Finnish crop farms for 1994 – 2002. The results show that in a pooled data set conventional crop farms are more technically efficient than organic farms...

Environmental Targets and Shadow Prices of Bad Outputs in Organic and Conventional Farming

Palavras-chave: Crop diversity; Shannon index; DDEA; Technical efficiency; Environmental Economics and Policy; Farm Management; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/6478

Huhtala, Anni; Marklund, Per-Olov.

We present a framework for deriving shadow prices for negative environmental impacts regulated in agriculture. The shadow prices can be used as indicators of the costs of environmental regulation imposed as reflected in alternative farming technologies adopted. We illustrate our analytical findings with implications of the Finnish water protection policy measures on conventional and organic livestock farms over the period 1994-2002. Generally, the representative organic farm is found to be more technically efficient relative to its own technology than is the conventional representative farm. However, there is no statistical indication of a difference between these two particular representative farms in valuing the costs of undesirable output (manure) at...

Fair policies for the coffee trade - protecting people or biodiversity?

Palavras-chave: Environmental performance; Technology choices; Nutrient surplus; Environmental Economics and Policy; H23; C21; Q12; Q21.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/24575

Kitti, Mitri; Heikkila, Jaakko; Huhtala, Anni.

We investigate the role that economic instruments can play in the eradication of poverty and preservation of biodiversity in agroforestry management in coffee production. Most of the world's coffee producers live in poverty and manage agro-ecosystems in regions that culturally and biologically are among the most diverse on the globe. Despite the relatively recent finding that bees can augment pollination and boost coffee crop yields substantially, the short-term revenues to be had from intense monoculture drive land-use decisions that destroy forest strips serving as habitats for pollinating insects. Our study investigates the possibility of multiple equilibria in the adoption of technology in coffee production; farmers specialize in environmentally...

Incorporating environmental impacts into value added from organic and conventional farming

Palavras-chave: Environmental Economics and Policy; Food Security and Poverty.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/11858

Huhtala, Anni; Marklund, Per-Olov.

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/16/05.

Modelling Environmental Effects of Agriculture: The Case of Organic Rye and Grey Partridge

Palavras-chave: National income accounting; Environmental performance; Technology choices; Environmental Economics and Policy; H23; O47; Q18; Q25.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/19259

Miettinen, Antti; Huhtala, Anni.

Our optimal control model identifies economic reasons as to why farmland bird populations have dramatically declined in modern agricultural landscapes. By integrating recreational wildlife values into farm level decision-making on arable crop choice and herbicide use, we derive those economic instruments needed for creating suitable conditions for game bird species on farmland. Based on the Finnish data available on the grey partridge (Perdix perdix), we illustrate how the optimal acreage subsidy for organically-grown areas, herbicide tax rates and the hunting licence fee could be estimated in monetary terms. Finally, we discuss the benefits and costs of cultivating organic cereals which will enhance preservation of the grey partridge.

Opportunity Costs of Providing Crop Diversity in Organic and Conventional Farming: Would Targeted Environmental Policies Make Economic Sense?

Palavras-chave: Environmental benefits; Grey partridge; Herbicides; Optimal control; Rye; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q57; Q18; H41.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/24462

Sipilainen, Timo; Huhtala, Anni.

Targeted environmental policies for farmlands may improve the cost-efficiency of conservation programs if one can identify the farms that produce public goods, or environmental outputs, with the least cost. We derive shadow values of producing crop diversity on conventional and organic crop farms to examine their opportunity costs of conservation. Non-parametric distance functions are estimated by applying data envelopment analysis to a sample of Finnish crop farms for the period 1994 – 2002. Our results show that there is variation in the shadow values between farms and the technologies adopted. The extent of cost heterogeneity and farms’ potential for specialization in the production of environmental outputs determine whether voluntary programs such as...

Optimal Control of Nutrient Pollution in a Coastal Ecosystem: Agricultural Abatement versus Investment in Wastewater Treatment Capacity

Palavras-chave: Biodiversity; Shannon index; DEA; Distance functions; Shadow values; Crop Production/Industries; Environmental Economics and Policy; C21; D24; H41; Q12; Q24.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/114527

Laukkanen, Marita; Huhtala, Anni.

We examine in a dynamic framework how public resources should be allocated to small-scale water protection efforts in agriculture or alternatively to investments in large-scale waste water treatment plants to control point source loads. The building of waste water treatment capacity is characterized by high set-up costs as compared to the operating costs. We determine the optimal timing of investment, the rate of nutrient load reduction from point versus non-point sources, and the optimal switching policies from control of non-point pollution only to control of both non-point and point sources. The results of the analytical model are illustrated with simulation of optimal abatement policies for the Finnish coastal waters in the Gulf of Finland.

Optimal Management of a Eutrophied Coastal Ecosystem: Balancing Agricultural and Municipal Abatement Measures

Palavras-chave: Non-point source pollution; Point-source pollution; Timing of investment; Environmental Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/24451

Laukkanen, Marita; Huhtala, Anni.

Agriculture and municipal wastewater are the principal sources of eutrophying nutrients in many water ecosystems. We develop a model which considers the characteristics of agricultural and municipal nutrient abatement. The model explicitly accounts for the investment needed to set up wastewater treatment facilities, and makes it possible to determine the optimal timing of investment as well as the optimal agricultural and municipal abatement levels. We apply the model to the Finnish coastal waters of the Gulf of Finland. Our results indicate that substantial savings in abatement costs and the damage associated with eutrophication could be obtained by constructing the facilities needed to process all the wastewaters entering the coastal ecosystem. The...

Promoting Demand for Organic Food Under Preference and Income Heterogeneity

Palavras-chave: Resource /Energy Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/11856

Eerola, Essi; Huhtala, Anni.

We examine the design of policies for promoting the consumption of green products under preference and income heterogeneity using organic products as an example. Two instruments are considered: a price subsidy for the organic products and a tax on the conventional products. Under income disparity, consumers with high income always prefer a socially optimal subsidy to a socially optimal tax, while low-income consumers prefer a tax on conventional products. When environmental policy is determined by the median voter, the policies implemented tend to be stricter than socially optimal policies if income differences are large.

Valuation of Trips to Second Homes in the Country: Do Environmental Attributes Matter?

Palavras-chave: Taxation; Preference heterogeneity; Income disparity; Demand and Price Analysis; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/24664

Lankia, Tuija; Huhtala, Anni.

Although spending time in a summer home is a popular leisure activity in many developed countries, little is known about the welfare impacts of such recreation in monetary terms. We use data from Finland to provide first estimates of the extent of the recreation benefits obtained from visits to second homes. Special emphasis is placed on how environmental attributes of second homes, such as the presence of algae, the availability of a beach, and electricity, influence the recreation value of visits. The impacts are valued through revealed preferences using the travel cost method. We estimate the recreation value to be about EUR 170 – 205 per trip if a summer home is electrified, if a beach is available and if algae do not prevent aquatic recreation. The...

Voting for environmental policy under income and preference heterogeneity

Palavras-chave: Consumer/Household Economics; Environmental Economics and Policy; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/114405

Huhtala, Anni; Eerola, Essi.

We examine the design of policies for promoting the consumption of green products under preference and income heterogeneity using organic food products as an example. Two instruments are considered: a price subsidy for the organic food products and a tax on the conventional products. Under income disparity, consumers with high income always prefer a socially optimal subsidy to a socially optimal tax, while low-income consumers prefer a tax on conventional products. When environmental policy is determined by the median voter, the policies implemented tend to be stricter than socially optimal policies if income differences are large.