Investigating farmers' preferences for the design of agri-environment schemes: a choice experiment approach

In recent decades agri-environment schemes (AES) have become an increasingly important tool for policy makers aiming to reverse the post-war decline in environmental quality on agricultural land. The voluntary nature of such schemes means that the decision of farmers to participate is central to achieving policy objectives. Therefore, this paper uses a choice experiment approach to investigate the role that scheme design can have on encouraging farmers to participate. Choice data was gathered from a survey of farmers in 10 case study areas across the EU and analysed using both mixed logit and latent class models. In general, farmers were found to require greater financial incentives to join schemes with longer contracts or that offer less flexibility or higher levels of paperwork. It was also observed that a large segment of farmers ('low resistance adopters') would be willing to accept relatively small incentive payments for their participation in schemes offering relatively little flexibility and high levels of additional paperwork, when compared to a contrasting segment of 'high resistance adopters'. © 2009 University of Newcastle upon Tyne

Cattle farmers' preferences for disease-free zones in Kenya: an application of the choice experiment method

Management of livestock diseases is important in ensuring food safety to consumers in both domestic and export markets. Various measures are prescribed under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) agreement of the World Trade Organization. In order to prevent the spread of trans-boundary cattle diseases, the SPS agreement recommends the establishment of Disease-Free Zones (DFZs). These have been implemented successfully in some major beef-exporting countries, but in Kenya are still at a pilot stage. To understand Kenyan farmers' preferences on the type of DFZ that would be readily acceptable to them, a choice experiment was conducted using a D-optimal design. Results show that farmers would be willing to pay to participate in a DFZ where: adequate training is provided on pasture development, record keeping and disease monitoring; market information is provided and sales contract opportunities are guaranteed; cattle are properly labelled for ease of identification; and some monetary compensation is provided in the event that cattle die due to severe disease outbreaks. Preferences for the DFZ attributes are shown to be heterogeneous across three cattle production systems. We also derive farmers' preferences for various DFZ policy scenarios. The findings have important implications for policy on the design of DFZ programmes in Kenya and other countries that face similar cattle disease challenges. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Technical efficiency and technology gaps in beef cattle production systems in Kenya: A stochastic metafrontier analysis

In this study the stochastic metafrontier method is used to investigate technical efficiency and technology gaps across three main beef cattle production systems in Kenya. Results show that there is significant inefficiency in nomadic and agro-pastoral systems. Further, in contrast with ranches, these two systems were found to have lower technology gap ratios. The average pooled technical efficiency was estimated to be 0.69, which suggests that there is considerable scope to improve beef production in KenyaTechnical efficiency, technology gap, beef cattle, production systems, stochastic metafrontier, Kenya., Livestock Production/Industries, D24, O32, Q18,

Effect of cropping policy on landowner reactions towards wildlife: a case of Naivasha area, Kenya

Wildlife policy in Kenya has in most part been protectionist with little incentives to private landowners, who host wildlife in their farms to participate in their conservation. However, in recognition of the role of incentives in conservation, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) piloted a wildlife utilization policy in which organized landowners were allowed a cropping quota based on the number of wildlife present within their land. This study investigates the impact of such policy on human-wildlife conflicts using data compiled from a list of complaints lodged at the KWS warden’s office from farms around Lake Naivasha. Using this data, Poisson and negative binomial regression models are employed to estimate the effect of the wildlife cropping and policy and other factors on the frequency of wildlife damage incidences reported at the KWS offices. Results indicate that the policy may not have worked as intended since rather than reducing the number of conflict reports, it had an unexpected effect of increasing problem reports to KWS. The results are discussed and some recommendations provided.Wildlife; Cropping; Count data regression; Buffalo; Landowners

Entrepreneurial younger farmers and the “Young Farmer Problem” in England

In this paper we investigate the “Young Farmer Problem” in Europe with a specific focus on how it applies in England. Recent reforms of the European Union’s (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) have specifically targeted young farmers for increased support; with young farmers being seen as more innovative, entrepreneurial and amenable to change. Furthermore, the EU has stated that the “generational renewal” of agriculture is critical for the long term viability of the sector. This paper investigates the business performance and entrepreneurial behaviour of younger farmers in England through empirical analysis of Farm Business Survey (FBS) data, and finds some evidence to support the notion of higher levels of performance among younger farmers. Farmers in the 35 - <45 years age group showed consistently higher levels of overall productivity, profitability and investment. Additionally, the results show that younger farmers demonstrate consistently higher levels of engagement with agri-environment schemes. This study concurs with the findings of Zagata and Sutherland (2015) in the need to improve targeting on the basis of age specifically in order to isolate the under 40 age group which is the focus of European policy and in the need to separate new entrants from inheritors in the assessment of young farmers. This paper and its supportive research builds on the fifth research objective of the Research platform proposed by Zagata and Sutherland (2015) to test the characterisation of young people and new entrants to farming, as entrepreneurial innovators sympathetic to and amenable with the goals of the CAP

The economic value of guaranteed water supply for irrigation under scarcity conditions

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Stakeholder Views Regarding a Health Impact Fund (HIF), to Incentivise Pharmaceutical Innovation Relevant to Diseases of Poverty

The HIF scheme, aims to create an alternative (Patent-2), to the existing Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime for rewarding pharmaceutical innovations through monopoly patents. Innovators would choose between the traditional IPR approach and the Patent-2 system to recoup innovation costs. Under Patent-2, reward would be based on the positive impact of the innovation on health globally. A two-stage, international, expert stakeholder Delphi survey (N=25) was conducted to identify stakeholder requirements for acceptance and implementation of Patent-2. Broad stakeholder support for the scheme was identified. Some practical issues were identified which require resolution. A larger survey (N=84 international stakeholders) was used to validate these findings. Results broadly corroborated the conclusions of the Delphi survey

Diet diversity, malnutrition and health: Evidence from Kenya

We investigate the effects of diet diversity on health outcomes indicated by the body-mass index (BMI) of Kenyan women in their reproductive age (15–49 years). We estimate the demand for diet diversity (which is a proxy for diet quality) and analyse its relationship with BMI by allowing the effect of diet diversity to vary along the conditional BMI distribution. Results show that diet diversity is associated with a beneficial effect on the lower and upper tails of the BMI distribution, that is, dietary diversity improves BMI for underweight individuals while, at the same time, it reduces BMI for overweight/obese individuals. Specifically, doubling the diet diversity is associated with a 14.7% increase in BMI for underweight women and a 7.0% reduction in BMI of obese women. These results support the hypothesis that diet diversity is associated with optimal BMI and, thus, better health, contributing to the policy discourse concerning the double burden of malnutrition in developing countries

Effect of cropping policy on landowner reactions towards wildlife: a case of Naivasha area, Kenya

Wildlife policy in Kenya has in most part been protectionist with little incentives to private landowners, who host wildlife in their farms to participate in their conservation. However, in recognition of the role of incentives in conservation, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) piloted a wildlife utilization policy in which organized landowners were allowed a cropping quota based on the number of wildlife present within their land. This study investigates the impact of such policy on human-wildlife conflicts using data compiled from a list of complaints lodged at the KWS warden’s office from farms around Lake Naivasha. Using this data, Poisson and negative binomial regression models are employed to estimate the effect of the wildlife cropping and policy and other factors on the frequency of wildlife damage incidences reported at the KWS offices. Results indicate that the policy may not have worked as intended since rather than reducing the number of conflict reports, it had an unexpected effect of increasing problem reports to KWS. The results are discussed and some recommendations provided

Heterogeneity of preferences for the benefits of environmental stewardship: a latent-class approach

Since 2005, Environmental Stewardship (ES) has been the principal agri-environment scheme for England and is the key instrument for the delivery of increased environmental benefits from agricultural landscapes. The main objective of this study is to investigate whether or not individuals' preferences for the environmental benefits associated with ES vary depending on types of landscapes within which these benefits are delivered. A latent class model is applied to data obtained from a choice experiment survey of over 1000 respondents sampled across England. The results suggest that individuals have heterogenous preferences for the benefits of ES, though different segments of the population with more homogenous preferences can be identified. In particular, higher levels of benefit are often associated with the operation of ES in landscapes close to where respondents live. This leads to the suggestion that, in order to maximise the benefits of ES, its implementation could take this result into account by encouraging greater uptake from farmers whose land is closer to large populations