There is pressure in Australia for water management reform to ensure an efficient allocation of resources between productive uses and to provide adequate conservation of the environment. The establishment of water markets and trade has been seen as the primary mechanism for improving the...

Stagnant agricultural productivity and low returns in farming have led rural residents in Nepal to look elsewhere for alternative or supplemental income opportunities, primarily though off-farm employment. Off-farm employment provides supplemental income to support household expenditure. This...

Herbicide resistance has become a major problem in dryland agriculture. In Australia this particularly applies to annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) which has developed multiple resistance to a wide range of commonly used selective herbicides. Although herbicides are a very cost-effective means of...

This paper will briefly describe the history and intent of the NTA 1993; survey outcomes flowing from its implementation, especially in reference to economic implications of agreements between parties; and consider future prospects, particularly by reference to the amended legislation which came...

In this paper we analyse the technical efficiency of cotton farmers in the Punjab Province in Pakistan. Technical efficiency is measured relative to a stochastic frontier production function (SFPF). The estimated model includes a function in which technical efficiency is made an explicit...

Genetic diversity in agricultural systems relies on both the supply of diversity through varieties produced by breeding programs, and the demand for that diversity, through farmers' usage of varieties. Variety choice by farmers is demonstrated through the mix of varieties that is grown in a...

Many environmental policy issues involve conflicts between nature conservation and economic development. The economic rationale behind deciding among alternative options is predicated on some form of benefit-cost analysis (BCA). Key issues to date have been non-market valuation, the...

Improving the conservation status of remnant native vegetation on private property (RNV) has a number of economic benefits. RNV can contribute to on-farm productivity through provision of unimproved grazing, timber products and stock shelter. It may contribute to enhancing the productivity of...

The identification of economically sensitive traits is a critical step in the breeding process as it defines the direction of the breeding program. Quantifying how each trait affects the profitability of the production system further increases the efficiency of a breeding program. Production...

Acid and acidifying soils occur extensively in Australia. Currently, some 90 million hectares of agricultural land in Australia is considered to be acidic and around 35 million hectares are considered to be highly acidic which is both a serious agricultural and environmental problem. The nature,...