This paper presents a regional land-use model that conceives farms as independent agents aiming at maximum individual utility. Farm agents optimize their utility with the help of a linear-programming algorithm that takes into account natural, economic and personal restrictions. Interactions...

‘Farming for Nature’, a relatively new policy instrument being tried out in the Netherlands, is evaluated. The concept has been designed to allow dairy farmers to improve nature conservation on their farms. Under the scheme, no manure, fertilizer, or feed – concentrates or...

Under the condition of significant changes in the framework of EU Agricultural Policy Agro-Environmental Programmes are evaluated in this paper. The MEKA-Programme of Baden-Württemberg and the KULAP-Programme of Brandenburg, both measures under the EU-Regulation VO (EWG) 2078/92 of 1992, are...

Planning agricultural and environmental programmes has become a complex task. In this paper we show how interactive programming can help to solve such complex policy decision-making problems. The basic linear programming model is implemented with Excel. We show, for a hypothetical agricultural...

Using the example of the MAB Biosphere Preserve “Mittlere Elbeâ€, this article demonstrates how an “optimal†land-use pattern – a pattern aimed at combining ecological, economic and social objectives in an adequate way – can be determined. The focus is on the...

Both climate and agricultural policy changes are commonly seen as important drivers for agricultural production. In this study, scenarios of climate and political change were calculated for the Upper Danube catchment area using the regional optimization model ACRE. Two political scenarios were...

This article provides an overview of the most important reforms, their background, and corresponding changes in Estonian agriculture during the transition period from 1988-2008. The past two decades have been divided into three sub-periods to outline differences in dynamics and the direction of...