Efficient Waste? Why Farmers Over-Apply Nutrients and the Implications for Policy Design

Understanding why farmers over-apply fertilizer is essential to designing effective agro-environmental policy. If farmers are simply inefficient, possibilities exist for simultaneously improving farm profits and the environment. If not, costly trade-offs are necessary. This article examines why farmer perceptions of agronomic advice, input substitutability, hidden opportunity costs, uncertainty, and risk aversion can make it economically rational to "waste" fertilizer by applying it above agronomically recommended rates. I use this information to evaluate the relative merits of policy responses such as insurance, education, cost-shares, regulation, taxes, and land retirement.     

Contract Structure and Design in Identity-Preserved Soybean Production

This paper provides a survey of contract design structures in identity-preserved soybean production. Drawing from economic theories of contract and organizational design, we document the allocation of value and decision rights associated with the transaction and the resulting allocation of risk associated with various sources of uncertainty for a sample of contracts for identity-preserved (or segregated) soybeans. We also list several hypotheses and avenues for future research suggested by the contract terms discussed in the paper.     

Moral Hazard,Targeting and Contract Duration in Agri‐Environmental Policy

This article extends the multi‐period agri‐environmental contract model of Fraser (Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 55 , (2004) pp. 525–540) to include a more realistic specification of the inter‐temporal penalties for non‐compliance, and therefore of the inter‐temporal moral hazard problem in agri‐environmental policy design. It is shown that a farmer has an unambiguous preference for cheating early over cheating late in the contract period based on differences in the expected cost of compliance. It is then shown how the principal can make use of this unambiguous preference to target monitoring resources intertemporally, and in so doing, to encourage full contract duration compliance.     

土地承包权退出:政策演进、内涵辨析及关键问题

土地承包权退出是推进城镇化和农业现代化发展的重要组成部分.基于制度变迁理论,结合政策梳理和实践归纳,本文试图剖析土地承包权退出内涵纷争的内在逻辑,总结其核心要义,以规范理论界对土地承包权退出的理解.本文认为,土地承包权退出认识纷争与制度演进阶段有关,从长远来看,土地承包权退出应该以自愿有偿为前提,以放弃土地承包权为结果...     

森林生态税的政策设计

森林作为陆地生态系统的主体 ,对改善生态环境、保护生态平衡起着决定性的作用。但由于森林生态效益的外在性 ,使得其价值补偿无法实现 ,从而成为我国森林生态建设的根本性制约因素。为此 ,本文分析了森林生态税政策设计的前提 ,进行了诸种主要生态经济政策利弊的比较 ,认为森林生态税是一种兼有公正和效率的生态经济政策。以此为基础 ,本文进一步探讨了森林生态税要素的设计 ,税收的归属 ,并对森林生态税制定的政策效应等问题 ,进行了较为系统的探讨。     

The Consequences of Cobenefits for the Efficient Design of Carbon Sequestration Programs

In this paper, we study the social efficiency of private carbon markets that include trading in agricultural soil carbon sequestration when there are significant cobenefits (positive environmental externalities) associated with the practices that sequester carbon. Likewise, we investigate the efficiency of government run conservation programs that are designed to promote a broad array of environmental attributes (both carbon sequestration and its cobenefits) for the supply of carbon. Finally, policy design and efficiency issues associated with the potential interplay between a private carbon market and a government conservation program are studied. Empirical analyses for an area that represents a significant potential source of carbon sequestration and its associated cobenefits illustrate the magnitude and complexity of these issues in real world policy design.     

Information for Policy Design: Modelling Participation in a Farm Woodland Incentive Scheme

Incentive schemes which use farmers and landowners as agents of policy are now the main driving force for modifying the countryside environment. Nevertheless, policy-makers lack quantitative models that describe farmers' response to schemes, and specifically their entry decisions. This paper examines the benefits from modelling entry decisions with and without additional information generated through surveys of participants and non-participants. It uses logit models to predict the probability of entry into a farm woodland incentive scheme, initially using only those explanatory variables that are available to policy-makers from the annual farm census. The model performs well in identifying those factors pre-disposing farmers to entry. The potential gains from enhancing the information set by incorporating lifestyle and other variables not recorded in the census are examined. The cost of additional surveys, and their small sample size compared with the census, casts doubt on the value of such an approach which may reduce rather than enhance predictive power.     

农民合作社发展顶层设计:政策演变与前瞻——基于中央“一号文件”的政策回顾

本文以中央发布的18个一号文件为研究对象,系统梳理了一号文件有关农民合作社发展政策的演变轨迹与关注重点,主要包括合作社法律的制定与修订、合作社的规范化和示范社建设、合作社发展的政策支持、合作社开展信用合作工作的试点与推进、合作社联合社的创新与发展等七个方面的内容。中国未来的农民合作社政策将着力于进一步扩大财政资金对合作社的补贴范围、鼓励和加快合作社创新发展、加大对合作社示范社的规范化建设与监管力度、明确政府在合作社发展过程中的角色定位、鼓励和引导高校毕业生到合作社工作等七项工作。     

民事合同抑或行政合同——论国有土地使用权出让合同的纯化

研究目的:解决国有土地使用权出让合同的双重法律属性给土地出让实践、执法、司法带来的困境和弊端。研究方法:实证分析法和因果分析法。研究结果:(1)土地出让实务的发展使得国有土地使用权出让合同中具有行政属性的内容增加,土地出让实践中签订的出让合同同时具有民事合同和行政合同双重法律属性;(2)这种双重法律属性给当事人和司法部门的法律适用带来困惑,使得出让合同所欲实现的民事目标价值和行政目标价值相互减损,也会导致例如规划部门和土地管理部门之间的行政处罚权的竞合;(3)解决上述问题的正确途径是剥离其中具有行政属性的内容,将出让合同纯化为纯粹民事性质的合同。研究结论:将国有土地使用权出让合同纯化为纯粹民事性质的合同是土地出让实践发展的正确方向。     

Hog Producer Preferences for Marketing Contract Attributes

We use a stated preference instrument to elicit producer preferences for the attributes of risk-shifting hog marketing contracts and express acceptable producer trade-offs between contract attributes in a convenient dollar metric. Respondents value an increase in a window contract's price ceiling three to five times more than the same increase in the price floor, which suggests that hog producers dislike contracts that limit up-side price potential (limit positive skewness). The contractor's organizational form is also important. Cooperative forms are preferred by many respondents, particularly those who state that trust in the contractor is an important antecedent for any contractual relationship.     

Quality Measurement and Contract Design: Lessons from the North American Sugarbeet Industry

This paper examines contracts used in the North American sugarbeet industry. Though quite similar in many respects, the contracts we study vary across processing firms in the set of quality measures used to condition contract payments to growers. This is somewhat surprising, given the homogeneous nature of the processors' finished product (refined sugar). It seems unlikely that processors differ significantly in how they value the various attributes of a sugarbeet, and such a difference is perhaps the most natural reason to expect variation in the structure of quality incentives across processors. Previous attempts to explain the observed variation in sugarbeet contracts have focused on differences in organizational form across firms. In this paper, we provide an alternative explanation that relies on variation across production regions in growers' ability to control the relevant measures of sugarbeet quality.     

“三权分置”下农业经营的实践形态与农地制度创新

"三权分置"是农地制度改革的重要成果,为提升农业经营效益提供了制度保障。农业经营的实践形态显示,土地经营权的设立并未提升资本化耕种的农业经营收益,也难以提升村集体范围内农地产权正式转移的水平。农业经营体制在"统"的层面缺乏可操作性的产权制度方案,阻碍了农地产权设置在"分"的层面发挥出高效的制度效能。切实回应农地利用中实际耕者的地权诉求,解决农地细碎化、村集体内土地经营权流转价格过高、土地经营权配置不充分、土地经营权流转后的社会纠纷等问题,需要围绕农地高效利用,在"三权分置"下充分发挥集体土地所有权的管理权能,以集体土地所有权统合土地承包经营权和土地经营权。     

Joint Estimation of Technology Adoption and Land Allocation with Implications for the Design of Conservation Policy

One challenge to estimating the parameters of a technology adoption model is that technology is selected jointly with land allocation. The article estimates a nested logit model of technology and crop choices that accounts for unobserved correlation among decisions. Estimation is conducted with a data set of adoptions, in contrast to the more common approach of using cross-section observations of existing technologies. Estimation results support the choice of a nesting structure as opposed to a more standard multinomial logit model. Adoption of precision irrigation technology is shown to be more sensitive to financial incentives affecting input price and technology cost than suggested by previous studies.     

Global Responsibility for Agricultural Policy

Global Responsibility for Agricultural Policy The Federal Government initiated a comprehensive reorientation of agricultural policy, which was targeted at a consistent implementation of the ecological, social and economic principles of sustainable farming. The main positions of the Federal Government were introduced into the negotiations on EU agricultural reform. They were, in part, also reflected in the proposals made by EU Commissioner Fischler. The objectives consisted of the maximum possible decoupling of direct payments from production, reinforcement of rural area support and the tying of payments to specific standards of consumer, animal and environmental protection that are valid throughout the EU. Sometimes the current debate eclipses important requirements for a European agricultural policy that will be viable in the future as well. It must achieve two objectives: pressing ahead with a globally sustainable farming sector and achieving more equity between North and South. The criteria of future agricultural policy should be more market orientation, attaching great importance to consumer, animal and environmental protection and to the regional aspect. The Agriculture Ministers of the EU Member States embarked on the road to greater market orientation, more emphasis on quality and to relating farming support more to social goals. We should stick to these targets, keeping in mind Europe's responsibility for the developing countries and our global interrelationships. Une responsabilité globale pour la politique agricole Le Gouvernement fédéral vient ?entreprendre une réorientation complète de la politique agricole, destinée à mettre en application de façon cohérente les principes écologiques, économiques et sociaux de ?agriculture durable. Les principales orientations du Gouvernement fédéral ont été introduites dans les négotiations sur la réforme de ?agriculture européenne. Elles se reflètent aussi partiellement dans les propositions faites par le Commissaire européen, M. Fischler. Elles consistent à découpler au maximum les paiements directs de la production, à renforcer le soutien au développement des zones rurales, et à lier les paiements au respect des standards spécifiques qui sont valables dans toute ?Union européenne en matière de protection des consommateurs, des animaux et de ?environnement. II arrive parfois que les débats ?actualitééclipsent la nécessité?une politique agricole valable aussi pour ?avenir. Une telle politique doit avoir deux objectifs:disposer à?avenir ?un secteur agricole globalement durable et mettre plus ?équité dans les rapports Nord/Sud. II faut que les caractéristiques de la politique agricole de ?avenir soient une plus grande orientation par le marché, et une plus grande importance attachée à la protection des consommateurs, à celle des animaux, et au développement régional. Les Ministres de ?Agriculture des états membres de ?Union Européenne se sont engagés sur la voie de ?orientation accrue par le marché, de ?accent mis sur la qualityé, et ?un plus grand souci vis à vis des objectifs sociaux dans la répartition des aides. Nous nous en tiendrons à ces objectifs, gardant en tête les responsabilités de ?Europe vis à vis des pays en voie de développement et de ses relations au niveau mondial. Agrarpolitik in globaler Verantwortung Die Bundesregierung hat eine umfassende Neuausrichtung der Agrarpolitik eingeleitet. Diese zielt darauf ab, die ökologischen, sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Prinzipien einer nachhaltigen Landwirtschaft konsequent umzusetzen. Die Bundesregierung hat ihre wichtigsten Positionen in die Verhandlungen zur EU‐Agrarreform eingebracht, zum Teil fanden sie sich auch in den Vorschlägen von EU‐Kommissar Fischler wieder. Ziele waren eine möglichst weitgehende Entkoppelung der Direktzahlungen von der Produktion, der Ausbau der Förderung ländlicher Räume und die Bindung der Zahlungen an bestimmte EU‐weit gültige Standards des Verbraucher‐, Tier‐ und Umweltschutzes. Die aktuelle Diskussion überlagert zuweilen wichtige Anforderungen an eine europäische Agrarpolitik, die auch zukünftig Bestand haben wird. Sie muss zwei Ziele erreichen: eine weltweit nachhaltige Landwirtschaft voranbringen und ihren Beitrag zu mehr Nord‐Süd‐Gerechtigkeit leLsten. Kriterien einer zukünftigen Agrarpolitik sind mehr Marktorientierung und ein hoherer Stellenwert für Verbraucher‐, Tier‐und Umweltschutz sowie für regionale Aspekte. Die Agrarministerinnen und Agrarminister der EU‐Mitgliedstaaten sind den Weg zu mehr Markt, zu mehr Qualität und zu einer Unterstützung der Landwirtschaft für ihre gesellschaftlichen Aufgaben gegangen. Dieser Weg sollte auch angesichts der Verantwortung Europas für die Entwicklungsländer und unserer Verflechtungen in der Welt weiter gegangen werden.     

订单农业的契约困境和组织形式的演进

订单农业组织形式的演进和创新是破解订单农业高违约率难题的有效途径。本文运用事前交易费用和事后交易费用的概念,通过对交易费用的仔细划分,重新解释了"公司 农户"向"公司 合作社 农户"不断演进的现象。合作社可以同时减少农户面临的事前交易费用和事后交易费用,进而减少农户的总交易费用,也可以减少公司所面临的交易费用。由于合作社具有降低双方交易费用的功能,合作社的出现就是必然的。     

从完善土地承包经营权权能看农村土地承包经营权抵押

农村现代化进程中遇到的最大问题之一就是资金不足,土地承包经营权抵押制度的确立可以有效缓解农民融资难的问题,对于促进农村经济发展、保障农民生活和推进新农村建设进程都发挥着积极的作用。随着十七届三中全会的召开,土地承包经营权抵押成为研究的热点。尽管现行法律不允许农民对所承包的土地进行抵押,但在创新农村金融服务的背景下,我国农村土地承包经营权的抵押已是暗流涌动,允许农村土地承包经营权抵押,势在必行。