This 2011 report provides an economic overview of the Canadian agriculture and agri-food system. It is meant to be a multi-purpose reference document to provide: an introduction to the agriculture and agri-food system; a snapshot of structural changes that are occurring throughout the system in...

The “Food Miles” concept was introduced in the UK nearly two decades ago in order to highlight the emissions of CO2 that arise during the transportation of food grown in distant locations. The concept has subsequently energized urban citizens to re-consider the on-purpose purchase of locally...

This paper analyses the “make or buy” decision of food firms applied to innovation strategy using 389 Italian food firms data from the Unicredit 2007 database. We develop a set of hypothesis from three theoretical perspectives such as transaction cost economics, strategic management and...

To internalize climate-related external costs from agricultural production and food consumption Pigou taxes and carbon credits increase private costs for food. Voluntary consumer choices for carbon-neutral food can be advantageous over such policy measures since they avoid higher food prices for...

Recent research shows that disparities between willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA) disappear with market experience and training. In effect, preferences can be refined by eliminating subjects’ misconceptions regarding elicitation procedures. We use a stated measure of...

Three axioms underpin consumer choice in neoclassical theory: weak order, independence, and continuity. Two of these axioms may not hold, however, for consumers’ choices regarding genetically modified (GM) food. Consumers may evaluate product attributes differently depending on whether the...

Stated preference approaches are widely used in non-market valuation. However, their potential uses extend far beyond valuation. In particular they can be used to assess efficiency of resource allocations and to design optimal resource allocations. Changes to the government budget were evaluated...

Several different New Zealand economic models produce measures of rural economic activity that have greenhouse gas implications. For climate change analysis, models need to translate economic activity into greenhouse gas emissions. This document estimates functions and creates projections for...

This paper presents preliminary results from a hedonic price analysis of premium wines in New Zealand over the vintages 1994 – 2003. Implicit prices are presented for a sensory quality rating, as well as wine variety and regional reputation. Results show that the price premium associated with...