Agri-Environmental Policy Measures in Israel: The Potential of Using Market-Oriented Instruments

This paper examines the possibilities of developing agri-environmental policy measures in Israel, focusing on market-oriented instruments. A conceptual framework for developing agri-environmental policy measures is presented, first in very broad lines (mandatory regulations, economic instruments and advisory measures) and subsequently focusing on economic instruments, and specifically, on market-oriented ones. Two criteria of choice between the measures are suggested: their contribution to improving the effectiveness of the policy; and the feasibility of their implementation. This is the framework used for analyzing agri-environmental measures in Israel. Israel currently implements a mix of mandatory regulations, economic instruments and advisory measures to promote the agri-environment. The use of additional economic instruments may improve the effectiveness of the policy. When comparing the effectiveness of various economic measures, we found that the feasibility of implementation of market-oriented instruments is greater, due to the Israeli public’s preference for strengthening market orientation in the agricultural sector. Four market-oriented instruments were practiced in a pilot project conducted in an Israeli rural area. We found that in this case study, the institutional feasibility and acceptance by stakeholders were the major parameters influencing the implementation of the market-oriented instruments, whereas the instruments’ contribution to enhancing the ecological or economic effectiveness were hardly considered by the stakeholders as arguments in favor of their use

Abating Ammonia Emissions: Farmers’ Willingness to Use Slurry Acidification Techniques during Spreading

This article seeks to determine farmers’ willingness to apply slurry acidification during spreading. Slurry acidification is a novel technique to reduce ammonia emissions, which has been pioneered in Denmark. In an online discrete choice survey of German livestock farmers, the respondents were asked to choose between different policy schemes to promote the use of acidification techniques and the status quo. The support schemes were characterised by the following attributes: cost share, expected emission reduction as well as reliefs from, and tightenings of, the German Fertilizer Ordinance. In addition, the character-istics of farmers and farms were elicited. The data were estimated using a mixed logit model. The esti-mated probability of farmers to choose a support scheme is 89 %. All policy variables are significant for acceptance and show the expected signs. Emission reduction is important to farmers and increases the chances of participation in a support scheme significantly. Furthermore, the cost share offered and the exemption from the requirement to incorporate slurry immediately after spreading have a significantly positive impact on farmers’ willingness to participate. By contrast, the higher the nitrogen load factor by which the extra nitrogen in the slurry must be counted in a farmer’s fertilizer planning (a provision of the German Fertilizer Ordinance), the lower the probability of participation. Concerning farm and farmer characteristics, farmers with grazing livestock show lower acceptance as do sow holders. Older farmers and better educated farmers are more likely to participate