In order to stimulate organic farming governments generally use a mix of temporary hectare payments and provision of public services for stimulating the development of the organic sector. In this paper a conceptual model is developed for determining a socially optimal hectare payment for any...

Because of environmental concerns, many states are regulating animal manure applications to crops. A conceptual model is presented to describe manure demand for crop nutrient application under alternative regulatory standards. Demand relationships are incorporated into a spatial equilibrium...

A coastal city can either dispose of recycled effluent by dumping it in the sea, or transfer it to farmers in its hinterland for irrigation. Who should bear the cost of recycling? Three alternatives are employed: a central planner who maximizes the combined utility of city and farmers;...

This paper investigates the effects of first-best policies to regulate nitrogen application. Some nitrogen fertilizer is applied ex ante before a random rainfall, but sidedressed nitrogen may be applied ex post. First-best policy is a tax or a quota on ex ante application, because sidedressed...

With some agri-environmental restrictions, municipal wastewater can be utilized for agricultural irrigation and river rehabilitation. This paper develops a single-year planning model for a region in Israel which consists of a city and three potential wastewater consumers. The model incorporates,...

Crop insurance provides a potential tool for reducing agricultural chemical use by providing a substitute for the risk management benefits of pesticides. This article describes the results obtained from an integrated modeling system developed to assess the efficacy of crop insurance used in this...