This dissertation focuses on the theoretical modeling and empirical testing of household motivations for the in situ conservation of crop genetic resources (CGR). An original household survey is used to test whether the household diversity outcomes are different for the cropping system as a...

We assume that people value employment not only to earn income to satisfy their consumption needs but also as a means of community/social involvement that provides socio-psychological (non-pecuniary) benefits. We show that the latter incentive can encourage full employment harvesting resources...

We develop and estimate an econometric model of the relationship between several local and global air and water pollutants and economic development while allowing for critical aspects of the socio-politicaleconomic regime of a State. We obtain empirical support for our hypothesis that democracy...

The commercial extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFP) from tropical forests has been considered as a strategy to promote forest conservation and at the same time alleviate poverty. However, recent studies produce conflicting findings regarding the effect of NTFP extraction on...

Fisheries throughout the world have long been subject to overfishing and excess capacity, which has generated substantial and increasing concern about biological and economic performance ramifications. These problems in part stem from substantial investment in technical improvements to boats and...

The Evolution of California Agriculture 1850-2000, by Alan L. Olmstead and Paul W. Rhode; Cross Sections of a Diverse Agriculture: Profiles of California's Agricultural Production Regions and Principle Commodities, by Warren E. Johnston; The Measure of California Agriculture and Its Importance in...

The overall goal of this study is to measure the effect of the impact that genetically modified cotton varieties have had on the production efficiency of small holders in farming communities in China. We also find that the adoption of Bt cotton varieties leads to a significant decrease in the...