THE WELFARE EFFECTS OF THE NEW CAP CEREALS REGIME: A NOTE

This note considers the impact on the cereals sector of the new arable regime agreed as part of the CAP reforms in May 1992. Starting from the farm-level decision of whether or not to participate in the voluntary set aside scheme, an industry-level supply curve is derived allowing examination of the potential welfare effects of the new policy. The discussion focuses on the cereals market.     

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE EC SET-ASIDE PROGRAMME

The EC set-aside programme is supposed to reduce the EC cereal surplus and, thus, expenditure. The main objective of this paper is to investigate whether these financial expectations will materialise. It may well be that the European taxpayer and the EC Commission will save money, but probably all EC member states will lose. The outcome depends on the level of world market prices and the specifics of implementation. The premiums paid per hectare of idled land will be higher than necessary if high administrative costs preclude their direct relation to income actually foregone (overcompensation effect). Moreover, idled acreage will have below-average yields, thus increasing the yield per ha on the hectares remaining under cultivation (structure effect). Finally, agricultural production per ha will increase if the set-aside programme induces higher use of variable input (intensification effect). Given the export restitutions for wheat prevailing in Jan./Feb. 1988 all national governments will have to bear an additional financial burden. However, they can use the latitude granted by the EC regulations to minimise this burden.     

论生态农业价值评估的操作困境及思路的创新

从４个方面分析了生态农业价值评估面临的操作困境,以及解脱评估操作困的思路;一是明确创新方向与目标;二是多学科的支持与配合,三是理论与科研相结合,四是加强必要的基本建设;五是提高研究群的计旦分析素质。     

THE VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND

Ricardo's discovery that the rents of agricultural lands arise essentially out of the differences between them can be restated by saying that the rent of land should depend on its marginal product. In come countries the Ricardian situation persists; where agricultural labour has “nowhere else to go” rents rise as a function of rural population density. The paper reviews the measures of marginal product which have been made using three methods of estimation: the production function (Cobb Douglas): estimates made by precise linear programming; and estimates of the “residual” income to land. The production function technique has been applied in countries at all stages of development ranging from African hand hoe agriculture to Australia and Belgium, and for a range of farm sizes. There are fewer examples of measures made by the other two methods; they are more suitable for use in advanced economics.     

THE ESTIMATION OF PRODUCTION FRONTIERS: THE AUSTRALIAN LIVESTOCK/CEREALS COMPLEX1

An attempt is made to combine, empirically, the estimation of product transformation surfaces with the more conventional methods of linear supply analysis. This synthetic approach is used to fit simultaneously a system of six aggregate supply functions. The products covered account for more than 70 per cent of the gross value of Australian rural production.     

THE VALUE OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY A UNIFORM GRADING SYSTEM

The potential effects of a uniform meat grading scheme on market performance are evaluated in terms of a change in the information state. A uniform grading system may reduce the per unit costs involved in the collection and transmission of information on the characteristics of, and the price differentials for, different units of the commodity set. Under conditions of uncertainty an improved information state will increase market participants' expected utility. A general procedure for an empirical evaluation of a grading scheme is outlined.     

THE VALUE OF FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

This paper explores further some of the ideas put forward by McInerney (1993) in his economic perspective of animal welfare. It uses a simple economic framework to consider citizens' concerns and perceptions about farm animal welfare and the production and consumption of livestock products in society. People's perceptions that certain aspects of livestock production give rise to poor farm animal welfare are a potential source of disutility for them. This disutility may be associated with people's own consumption of livestock products and/or with other people's consumption. The latter is a negative externality of consumption in society, resulting in very real indirect costs associated with livestock production. The paper discusses the need for valuing farm animal welfare, considers techniques for evaluation and highlights some of the policy issues involved.     

A REGRESSION TEST OF THE PRESENT VALUE MODEL OF US FARMLAND PRICES

Regression methods previously employed to study stock price movements are used to test how well the present value model under rational expectations explains farmland price movements. Based on data on farmland prices and rents (returns to landownership) covering the period 1921-89 from three agricultural regions in the United States, the empirical results reject the present value model under rational expectations. These results suggest that farmers may be well-characterised as displaying satisficing rather than profit-maximising behaviour.     

FARM NET VALUE ADDED IN SCOTLAND AND THE DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

Recent procedures for selecting disadvantaged areas for European Community rural development assistance have specified criteria including low levels of agricultural income and GDP per capita, and proportionately high levels of agricultural employment. The first of these is measured by Farm Net Value Added per Annual Work Unit (FNVA per AWU). This paper presents a methodology which estimates FNVA and AWU for Scottish parishes using data from the Farm Accounts Scheme and the June agricultural census. The ratio of FNVA to AWU is then estimated for various aggregations of parishes, such as Scottish Districts, Regions, and areas currently designated for various rural development programmes. Although only one among several important criteria for targeting rural development aid, the pattern of FNVA per AWU generally supports the current allocation of funding. The results also give some indication of priority areas for future targeting on a more local scale.     

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF SOIL SURVEY INFORMATION

Claims for the general economic benefits of soil maps as planning tools have remained largely unsubstantiated. This study offers a method of assessing the value of the information provided by a soil map. Its value depends on the quality of the map, and on the difference in payoffs between alternative management practices. Using only data normally available to agricultural planners, the value of a map may be calculated before its survey. The problem is one of decision-taking under uncertainty. A computer programme has been compiled to calculate the benefit from soil surveys of differing quality and is applied to data from a peach-growing area in Australia.     

FARM MANAGEMENT ADVISORY WORK: THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

This paper examines the role of the farm management adviser viz-à-viz the agricultural industry at large and considers the challenge to the ‘whole farm’ approach arising from the increasing demand for highly specialised technical information and advice.     

我国耕地资源价值核算研究综述

我国耕地价值核算的相关研究,经历了由单一的生产养育功能核算向经济价值、社会价值、生态价值等综合价值核算的发展过程.这种关注的转变,源于学者们对耕地价值外部性及征收补偿标准偏低等问题关注.由于耕地资源价值构成的复杂性,用以核算耕地价值的方法也多种多样,但收益还原法和替代法仍是主流的耕地价值核算方法.对于未来研究而言,如何依据环境的转变及时更新耕地资源的价值体系、进一步拓展耕地资源价值的核算方法以及探索耕地价值的补偿途径应得到学者们的进一步关注.