Values,trust, and management in New Zealand agriculture

This study provides empirical evidence of the link between outlook and practice among farmers, foresters, and growers in New Zealand. Specifically, we use a large, nationally representative survey to assess how foci on production and environmental outcomes influence the adoption of six good management practices aimed at increasing agricultural sustainability. We then show that while environmentally oriented and production-oriented decision-makers are statistically more prepared to take risks, all rural decision-makers are more likely to adopt new technologies and good practices after seeing their relative advantages successfully demonstrated. Next, we show that social and professional networks are small, often limited to five or fewer operators, which begs the question about how the risk-averse operators become informed about good practice. Hence, we ultimately analyse trust in order to identify other credible demonstrators or informants. We find that veterinarians are the most trusted source of information and that government (at all levels) is the least.     

Toward integrated water and agricultural land management: Participatory design of agricultural landscapes

One of the great challenges of developing sustainable water management is to integrate water and land use issues, and to favor stakeholders’ involvement in the process of designing a solution to the specific issues of water basins. This study aims to help reach these objectives: we present the outcomes of a methodology that aims to design, with stakeholders of a watershed facing quantitative water management issues, alternative agricultural landscapes that they each consider as potential solutions. Our design approach combines (1) facilitation of participatory workshops for designing changes in cropping systems and their spatial distributions at the landscape level with (2) formalization of these alternatives in a GIS. The formalized alternatives provide precise information about fields, farms and areas concerned by the designed changes. We present two sample results of this methodology implemented in a 840 km² irrigated landscape located in a water-deficient watershed in southwestern France. We discuss how our design approach may be useful for a wider design-and-assessment methodology involving researchers and stakeholders with conflicting interests. We show that our co-design approach provides fertile ground for the emergence of salient, credible and legitimate change options.     

The economic costs of weeds on productive land in New Zealand

Here we review published research on the costs of weeds to New Zealand’s pastoral, arable and forestry sectors, and propose an alternative dynamic approach for future research. The studies reviewed had little in common methodologically, often contained guesswork, or were outdated. Their aggregation resulted in a conservative estimate of the cost of weeds to New Zealand’s agricultural economy of $1658 million (2014 NZD). To address deficiencies in previously used methodologies, a dynamic approach is developed and applied to a case study on giant buttercup in dairy pastures. This approach accounts for probable temporal changes in both the geographic extent of the weed and in producer prices and indicates annuitized costs (over the period 2012–2030) of $166 million, $259 million and $592 million for rates of spread of 144, 60 and 20 years for giant buttercup to invade all dairy regions in New Zealand. Comparing the aggregate cost of all weeds to the three productive sectors estimated from the historical data with these ‘dynamic’ estimates for the one species in dairy pasture, indicates that the historical data provide a substantial underestimate of the true aggregate cost of weeds to New Zealand’s agricultural economy.     

Climate change and the Australian agricultural and resource industries

There is a limited case for assisting trade-exposed emissions-intensive industries during a transitional period during which Australian resource industries but not all of their major competitors are subject to emissions constraints. There is no case for protecting Australian industry from all adjustment and loss of asset values during the transition. The valid case is analogous to anti-dumping assistance, being confined to the case where weaker emissions constraints elsewhere would force adjustments that would be reversed later. The case for assistance is limited by the effect of others' weaker emissions constraints on global resource prices.     

农业水权市场综合框架体系及案例分析

以较为成熟的水权市场建设和水权制度改革理论与实践为支撑,以对多个农业水权市场的实地调研为基础,提出融合制度基础、经济动力、交易参与人、第三方保护和设施基础等5大模块,涵括14个要素的农业水权市场综合框架体系,阐明了各要素之间的内在联系。以澳大利亚维多利亚州、智利Limarí流域和中国石羊河流域为例,在农业水权市场综合框架体系下对3个国家农业水权市场进行分析,进而从水权法律体系、水资源产权管理制度、水权信息共享度、水权交易媒介等多个方面总结出建立健全农业水权市场的必要条件及建议,旨在给我国积极探索建立农业水权市场的决策者们提供参考。     

西北干旱区水资源管理的环境经济学思考

西部干旱区由于气候条件和自然地形条件的限制,水资源非常短缺。同时由于不合理的开发利用,使该地区受到水资源的资源性短缺和结构型短缺的双重约束。从环境经济学的视角,指出水资源问题产生的主要原因,从管理层面尝试性地提出建议：实行一体化管理;建立健全水权制度,逐步走向市场化管理;制定合理水价;建立流域生态补偿机制;鼓励节水。     

Water rights: a comparison of the impacts of urban and irrigation reforms in Australia

Although there has been a policy thrust towards making all Australians more cognisant of the relative scarcity of water resources, the approach adopted for urban dwellers differs markedly from that applied to irrigators. These differences are examined from a property-rights perspective focussing primarily on the institutional hierarchies in the Victorian water sector. The analysis reveals significant attenuation of urban dwellers' rights, presumably on the basis of the information deficiencies that circumscribe urban water use. Alternative policy options are then proposed, which might alleviate some of these information deficiencies and simultaneously address the efficiency losses that attend the present arrangements.     

Mix and sequencing of economywide and agricultural reforms: Chile and New Zealand

Once committed to economywide and sectoral reforms – stabilization, structural adjustment, and trade liberalization – and companion reforms of institutions, how does government best proceed? With what reforms in response to initial conditions, and in what mix, sequence, strength, and speed? This study examines what factors were most critical to success during transition in two early reformers. The economies of Chile and New Zealand have undergone seismic reforms, starting in the mid-1970s and 1980s, respectively. Comparative analysis of their reforms look at the prior conditions that induced drastic action and the policy choices made in each country. Though similar in many respects, differences in initial economic conditions and implementation led to dissimilar, even contrary results. For Chile, the outcome was a vigorous, recharged economy and agricultural sector; for New Zealand, the economy and the sector are lagging still. How policy choice and implementation, as well as simultaneity of reforms, affected the outcomes is the major thrust of the study. The preeminence of trade and macroeconomic policies over sectoral interventions, and in particular the strategic nature of the real exchange rate in allowing agriculture to compete domestically and internationally highlight the discussion.     

岳城水库供水管理中存在的问题与对策

作为水利工程供水体系的重要环节,做好供水管理,对缓解水资源供需矛盾和保障供水安全起着至关重要的作用。基于对岳城水库供水现状的分析,对水利工程供水管理中存在的问题及成因进行了深入的探讨,提出了深刻理解做好供水管理工作对流域经济社会可持续发展的重要意义,以及规范用水秩序、提高岳城水库的供水保障能力,加快水价调整、促进节约用水和水资源合理配置,实行科学水价制度、保障工程效益的发挥的对策建议,以期实现流域水资源的可持续利用和经济社会的可持续发展。     

Adoption of erosion management practices in New Zealand

Soil erosion is a serious environmental threat to New Zealand’s agricultural sector. Economic costs of soil erosion are significant and the costs of adopting mitigation and management practices, given the targets set by environmetal policy, do not spread uniformly across space, economic activities and types of erosion processes. Management practices have been widely employed by farmers and promoted by several policy programs. Practices are not mutually exclusive and could be jointly adopted by comparing productivity gains against costs of implementation. However, research on the identification of the drivers of adoption is scarce in New Zealand. To identify the determinants of adoption of management practices in New Zealand farms, we combine novel survey information with data on climate and erosion in a multivariate probit framework. This framework allows identification of potential complementarity or substitution between management practices. We find significant and heterogeneous effects from erosion levels, temperature, wind velocity and primary land uses on the adoption of any of the practices. In addition, we also find significant complementarities between management practices. The results of this study are important because the complementarities relate to external effects of erosion mitigation which can help to promote public acceptability of mitigation policies.     

农业供水改革的问题分析与途径研究

简述我国农业水资源利用的低效率,分析了我国农业用水管理中存在的问题,提出设计节水激励机制、改善水利工程管理、完善有利于农业产业化的相应对策。     

Effectiveness of agricultural water management technologies on rainfed cereals crop yield and runoff in semi-arid catchment: a meta-analysis

Multiple agricultural water management (AWM) technologies are being promoted worldwide in rainfed agro-ecological production systems, such as the Limpopo River Basin, to close the yield gap, enhance food security and reduce poverty, but evidences on yield gains and environmental impacts are varied. This paper conducts a review of the performance of AWM technologies against conventional farmer practices to produce adequate evidence on cereal yield and field runoff changes. With the interrogation of literature from 1980 to 2013 using seven AWM groupings, enough evidence was found that AWM technologies can deliver substantial benefits of increased crop yield and water productivity with reduced environmental impacts. Using random effects model, the standardized mean difference (SMD) of yield between AWM and control was 0.27, while SMD of water productivity was 0.46, indicating the effectiveness of the technologies (SMD?>?0). Subgroup analyses showed greatest yield responses on silty-clay-loam, clay-loam and sandy soils compared to clay and loam-sandy soils, and higher yield increase under low rainfall regime (200–500 mm) than under high rainfall regime (500–800 mm). Large yield change variations for different AWM technologies present a huge opportunity for meeting the existing yield gaps and enhancing coping capacity in dry years and under climate change.     

More than energy transformations: a historical transition from organic to industrialized farm systems in a Mediterranean village (Les Oluges,Catalonia, 1860–1959–1999)

The analysis of energy efficiency of agroecosystems from a sociometabolic perspective is a useful way to assess the sustainability of farm systems. In this paper we examine the transition of a Mediterranean agroecosystem from an organic farm system in the mid nineteenth century to an industrialized one at the end of the twentieth century by means of the technologies and ideology of the Green Revolution. Given that many of the world’s agricultural systems have experienced, or are currently experiencing this transformation, our results are relevant for building more sustainable agricultural systems in future. Our results highlight the relevance of livestock density, and the flows of biomass reused and unharvested biomass as key elements affecting the sustainability of the agroecosystem not only from a socioeconomic perspective, but also from an agroecological point of view. Additionally, from a biocultural perspective our investigation sustains the relevance of the study of traditional farm systems for the development of a sustainable agriculture.     

Non‐market valuation: usage and impacts in environmental policy and management in Australia

An extensive literature exists on environmental nonmarket valuation research. It appears that results from these studies should be useful inputs to decision‐making about environmental policy or management. Here, we investigate the extent to which this occurs in practice in Australian environmental management bodies. Nonmarket valuation experts were surveyed about their studies that they believed to have influenced policy. Then, decision‐makers in environmental bodies were interviewed about the level of influence nonmarket valuation has had on their decisions. We find that researchers' perceptions of the influence that nonmarket valuation has on decision‐making are overly optimistic. Interviews with decision‐makers suggest that nonmarket valuation is little used in decision‐making. Indeed, the majority of them are unfamiliar with nonmarket valuation techniques. Nevertheless, once the concept was explained to them, many decision‐makers believed it could benefit environmental policy. Researchers' perceptions of the reasons for low usage of nonmarket valuation are largely inaccurate. We suggest a range of strategies that economists can use to promote the use of nonmarket valuation in environmental policy and management decisions, including ways to improve communication and engagement with decision‐makers, and strategies to increase the capacity for decision‐makers to use nonmarket valuation results.     

Exploring agricultural advice networks,beneficial management practices and water quality on the landscape: A geospatial social-ecological systems analysis

Agricultural practices have been linked to detrimental effects on ecosystems, with water quality of particular concern. Research has been devoted to understanding uptake of beneficial, or best, management practices (BMPs) in agriculture; however, sources of advice and subsequent effects on the landscape have not been elucidated. This study set out to understand (1) what sources of information agricultural producers rely on when making land-management decisions; (2) the characteristics of their advice networks; and (3) how the advice network linked spatially to water quality on the landscape. A watershed in Alberta was used as a case study and respondents identified that regional advisors were relied upon most often for advice and these advisors had the most influence on the adoption of BMPs. Results indicate that respondents with connections to regional actors implemented more BMPs that those without. Regional government actors had a greater effect than regional non-governmental actors. Local actors played a lesser role in advice networks related to BMP adoption. A 3D geovisualization was used to explore linkages among advisors, BMPs, and water quality. This technique may be useful for other scenarios and can contribute to policy development and enhanced practices.     

The Manure Hits the Land: Economic and Environmental Implications When Land Application of Nutrients Is Constrained

The discharge of manure nutrients into area waters from confined animal feeding operations is considered a leading contributor to U.S. water quality impairments. An option to mitigate these impairments is to constrain land application of manure. When these constraints are particularly binding, due to minimal acceptance of manure as a substitute for commercial fertilizer, potentially large and unanticipated changes in returns to agricultural production and water quality may occur. Moreover, some of the cost of meeting the constraints is passed on to consumers through higher prices and to a portion of rural economies through lower production rates and labor expenditures.     

Cost and trade impacts of environmental regulations: effluent control and the New Zealand dairy sector

New Zealand legislation sets standards for water quality. Nitrogen leaching from dairy effluent compromises these standards, with the consequent move being toward land-based effluent disposal. The cost of this to the dairy sector was estimated and a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model (GTAP) was used to investigate the impact of additional production costs on NZ's dairy export trade. Two scenarios were analysed: first, NZ acts unilaterally in imposing water quality regulations, second, the other principal dairy exporters act in a similar fashion. Changes in trade patterns vary from insignificant to large, depending on the scenario analysed.     

农产品冷链物流质量安全管理研究

冷链物流的有效管理已成为差异化经营、保障食品安全和赢得市场竞争的现实需要,其发展对于保障农产品质量安全意义重大。文章分析了农产品冷链物流质量安全管理的概念及问题,从经济和社会两方面探讨加强农产品冷链物流质量安全管理的重要性,通过对我国农产品冷链物流的SWOT定性分析,从冷链流程和商业运行模式两方面提出加强农产品冷链物流质量安全管理的方法和措施,最后给予展望与总结。     

Export Marketing Arrangements in Four New Zealand Agriculture Industries: An Institutional Perspective

The article examines the effectiveness of export marketing arrangements in 4 of New Zealand's agricultural industries within an institutional perspective. The coordination tasks and economic return from the export were investigated in each industry. Safeguarding problems within a deregulated marketing arrangement might explain reluctance to engage in joint marketing efforts. The gain from setting up new arrangements that foster profitability must be perceived as larger than the setup costs and perceived future costs of mounting down existing arrangements. A framework for design of export marketing arrangements in agriculture industries is proposed. Suggestions for future research are outlined.     

浅议农用地分等成果在第二次土地调查中的应用

将农用地分等成果应用到第二次土地调查中,可对土地条件调查进行探索;土地数量与土地质量信息的结合,为土地利用总体规划修编、基本农田划定、占补平衡管理、土地开发整理规划、土地整理项目后评价等提供技术支持,进而实现土地数量与质量管理并重.