A Growth-Focused Spatial Econometric Model of Agricultural Land Development in the Northeast

Using county data for West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, estimation of a system of simultaneous equations shows that population growth, higher taxes, high farmland value, and high initial per capita income accelerate farmland development, but return on farmland, government assistance to farmers, farmland conservation, and farming agglomeration reduce development pressure.farmland, development, regional growth, policy, equilibrium model, spatial autocorrelation, Land Economics/Use,

Regional Growth Impacts on Agricultural Land Development: A Spatial Model for Three States

In this study we attempt to understand the relationship between regional growth in population, employment, and per capita income, and farmland development in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. A spatial simultaneous equations model is estimated using county-level data. Results indicate that while county income growth and agricultural land value increases in neighboring counties increase the rate of farmland loss, growth in county agricultural land values, increases in agricultural land density in neighboring counties, and increases in agricultural income per farm reduce farmland losses. Farmland protection policies were not significant in reducing agricultural land development. This approach, focused on regional growth, provides insight into linkages between growth and agricultural land development that can potentially enhance land use planning.farmland protection, regional growth, rural development, spatial growth equilibrium model, Land Economics/Use,

Modeling Migration Effects on Agricultural Lands: A Growth Equilibrium Model

We estimate a system-of-equations model designed to measure the interaction between intertemporal patterns of changes in population, employment, and agricultural land densities. The model is applied to West Virginia for the 1990-1999 period. Consistent with recent findings on migration patterns, the results show that jobs followed people. New jobs were captured by commuters, while agricultural land losses were occurring in the commuters' counties of origin or bedroom communities. However, counties with relatively more profitable and concentrated agricultural enterprises were less susceptible to alternative land use pressure than counties with less productive or fragmented agricultural land. Elasticities indicate population change is elastic, whereas employment and agricultural land density changes are inelastic to factors affecting them. Growth management, when combined with agricultural land retention programs, may be most effective at preserving agricultural land in high growth or potential growth areas.Land Economics/Use,

Renewable Energy Development and Implications to Agricultural Viability

Food and energy security have increasingly acquired key natural resource policy focus. As alternative energy solutions become more land intensive, the potential implication to the agricultural sector becomes of policy interest. This study investigated the impact of projected wind energy development in Michigan on the agricultural sector. Results indicate that land lease payments overtime for wind turbine siting are expected to generate $50 million per year, impacting agricultural viability. Spatial distribution analysis suggests that most of the projected lease payments to farmers are concentrated in low value agricultural land, low value agricultural production, urban influenced, and low net farm income locations. We found that the spatial distribution of wind energy impact on agricultural viability is wide, but significant in some counties, by a margin of more than 50% net farm income gain. As renewable energy development becomes more land intensive, the potential cross-sectoral impacts need to be carefully considered.agricultural viability, renewable energy, land use, spatial analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Event-specific Data Envelopment Models and Efficiency Analysis

Most, if not all, production technologies are stochastic. This article demonstrates how data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods can be adapted to accommodate stochastic elements in a state-contingent setting. Specifically, we show how observations on a random input, not under the control of the producer and not known at the time that variable input decisions are made, can be used to partition the state space in a fashion that permits DEA models to approximate an event-specific production technology. The approach proposed in this article uses observed data on random inputs and is easy to implement. After developing the event-specific DEA representation, we apply it to a data set for Western Australian wheat farmers. Our results highlight the need for acknowledging stochastic elements in efficiency analysis.

Assessing Demographic Changes and Income Inequalities: A Case Study of West Virginia

This study investigates demographic change and income inequalities, and relationship between economic growth and income inequality in West Virginia. Income growth was positively related with population and employment growth, but is significantly and negatively related with income inequality. This indicates that higher income inequality is associated with slower economic growth.Labor and Human Capital,

Strategic Acquisition of Agricultural Lands in Sub-Saharan Africa: Determinants of Country Targeting Behavior

Land Economics/Use,

A spatial simultaneous growth equilibrium modeling of agricultural land development in the Northeast United States

With population growth and expansion of economic activities, urbanized places have expanded; and with growing per capita income, residential location preferences have shifted towards suburban and rural locations. In many places, such new growth has been accommodated with the development of agricultural lands. The concern from natural resource economics perspective is that agricultural lands are multifunctional. They have production uses, for which there are efficient markets, and amenity and environmental benefits, for which there are no efficient markets to value these attributes. This multifunctionality and the possible under-valuation of agricultural lands, irreversibility of development, and speculative effects of development on farm efficiency have attracted policy intervention in many States.;This study aims to understand the relationship between regional growth in population, employment, and per capita income and agricultural land development in the Northeast United States. This region comprises 13 states and one of the fastest agricultural land developments in the nation. A system of spatial and non-spatial simultaneous equations models are introduced and estimated using three-stage-least-squares method. County level data on population, employment, income, land value, agricultural land stock, county characteristics, fiscal factors, local infrastructure, agricultural land use policies, and spatial information are used to estimate the models.;The major findings of this study are that population growth facilitates agricultural land development, more so if the growth is in a neighboring county; own county growth in income induces agricultural land development while neighboring county income growth reduces it; counties with high per acre value of agricultural land and counties surrounded by other counties that have high land values experience high agricultural land development; road accessibility and location near urbanized locations induce agricultural land development; northeastern states that implemented tax easement and transferable development rights policies experienced more agricultural land development than those that did not; and the performance of the agricultural sector in terms of income and employment creation was not significant in reducing agricultural land development.;The study recommends that agricultural land protection policies can be better coordinated at a regional level and could be more effective if integrated within state economic development programs

Retrospective Assessment of Black Leg in Kafta Humera Woreda

Retrospective study was conducted with the objective of assessing the vaccination coverage of Kafta Humera through observation of different woredas against black leg from records of the Humera veterinary clinic in Tigray region of Ethiopia, from 207/8-2012/13. The result revealed that there was vaccination program against black leg every year in the woreda. At the same time, there was a reduction in diseased animals and death rate from time to time. But there are some cases still existing with high rates of infection in Begait cattle (a breed common in northern Ethiopia). This indicates that the disease is still persisting in the area and strengthening the existing vaccination program and immediate detection of diseased animals and treating them is essential to mitigate the disease in the area.Keywords: Black leg, Humera, Cattle, Tigray, Ethiopia

Is Income Inequality Endogenous in Regional Growth?

This study focuses on testing the relationship between income inequality and growth within U.S. counties, and the channels through which such effects are observed. The study tests three hypotheses: (1) income inequality has an inverse relationship with growth; (2) regional growth adjustments are the channels through which the inequality and growth are equilibrated; and (3) income inequality is endogenous to regional growth and its adjustment. Results, based on a system of equations estimation, confirm the hypotheses that income inequality has a growth dampening effect; income inequality is endogenous to regional growth and growth adjustment; and the channels through which income inequality determines growth are regional growth adjustments, such as migration and regional adjustment in job and income growth. Results have numerous policy implications: (1) to the extent that income inequality is endogenous, its equilibrium level can be internally determined within a regional growth process; (2) to the extent that traditional income inequality mitigating policies have indirect effect on overall regional growth, they may have unintended indirect effects on income inequality; and (3) to the extent that regional growth adjustment also equilibrates income inequality, such forces can be utilized as policy instruments to mitigate income inequality, and its growth dampening effects hence forth.Income inequality, economic growth, Gini coefficient, growth modeling, population change, per capita income, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Public Economics, I32, J15, O18, P25, R11, R23, R25, R51, R53, R58,