Agriculture is one of the major sources of water quality impairment, and chemical fertilizer causes most of the surface water contamination. The purpose of this thesis is to design two fertilizer tax systems (Uniform Tax vs Differentiated Tax) embodied in a Computable General Equilibrium model,...

Agriculture's impact on the environment is a complex research problem. A challenge to future economic research is to account for the interrelationship between agricultural production activities, soil productivity, erosion, and water quality. It will become increasingly important to determine not...

There has been a growing interest in the U.S. to study local and regional food systems with respect to economic, social, and enterprise development. This paper discusses a series of on-going projects funded by the USDA focusing on two aspects of the relationships between social network and food...

The purpose of this research is to investigate factors impacting farmers’ decisions to engage in multifunctional activities, which are hypothesized to enhance the sustainability and prosperity of farms and their communities. To achieve this research goal, I will break it up into two specific...

The purpose of this paper is to report preliminary findings of a comprehensive study of multifunctional farming operations in New England. The study shows that small farmers are involved in multifunctional activities that allow them to use existing resources to supplement their farming...

This study evaluates the impact of the agricultural working landscape on the Vermont tourist industry and state economy. Vermont is known for its scenery, especially its agricultural landscape. It has often been stated that Vermont's tourist industry, which represents 15% of the state's economy,...

China's Tourism industry, especially international tourism, has expanded rapidly since its market-oriented economic reform started in 1978. There has been limited information regarding the trends and regional disparities. This paper examines the national trends of China's international tourism...

The goal of this research is to identify the assets and constraints that exist specific to small business manufacturers in Vermont. To satisfy this goal, the study examines factors that influence location decisions as well as identifying what obstacles business owners have experienced. The idea...

The results of an on-going exploratory study focused on disparities in entrepreneurial activities across 203 Metropolitan Statistical Areas among 18 industries in the US showed that there existed variations in the path of entrepreneurial development among MSAs and different industries. Resource...

Arguments about using computer facilities to classroom teaching have gained a lot of attention over time. Using the computer facilities will be helpful to demonstrate real world applications, while poor data or inappropriate case studies might reduce the confidence in applying computer programs...