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Applying Optimization and the Analytic Hierarchy Process to Enhance Agricultural Preservation Strategies in the State of Delaware
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Abstract
Using agricultural preservation priorities derived from an analytical hierarchy process by 23 conservation experts from 18 agencies in the state of Delaware, this research uses weighted benefit measures to evaluate the historical success of Delaware’s agricultural protection fund, which spent nearly 100millioninitsfirstdecade.Thisresearchdemonstrateshowtheseoperationresearchtechniquescanbeusedinconcerttoaddressrelevantconservationquestions.Resultssuggestthatthestate’ssealed−bid−offerauction,whichdeterminestheyearlyconservationselections,issuperiortobenefit−targetingapproachesfrequentlyemployedbyconservationorganizations,butisinferiortotheoptimizationtechniqueofbinarylinearprogrammingthatcouldhaveprovidedadditionalbenefitstothestate,suchas12,000additionalacresworthanestimated25 million.conservation optimization, farmland protection, analytic hierarchy process, binary linear programming, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,