Excerpt
Conservation programs in Canada, the United States, and the European Union provide financial incentives to farmers for implementing beneficial management practices (BMPs) to mitigate the adverse environmental effects of agriculture. From a societal point of view, there is a need to evaluate the cost effectiveness of agricultural conservation programs and to direct public funds to locations for implementing BMPs that achieve the highest environmental benefits at least costs. However, on-farm economic costs of implementing BMPs and their ensuing adoption rates under various incentive schemes are generally unknown to policy makers. Furthermore, the economic valuation of BMP-associated environmental improvements involves understanding complex diffuse pollution sources and the assessment of associated changes in pollution levels. The economic value of BMP-induced changes in pollution must be assessed based on both market and nonmarket prices of associated goods …
Footnotes
- Copyright 2007 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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