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Do agri-environmental schemes help reduce herbicide use? Evidence from a natural experiment in France

Author

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  • Laure Kuhfuss

    (Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews)

  • Julie Subervie

    (INRA, UMR 1135 LAMETA, F-34000 Montpellier)

Abstract

Agri-environmental schemes (AES) are a central component of the environmental policy of the European Union. Despite widespread interest and investment in AESs, few of these pro-grams have been carefully evaluated and doubts are often expressed about the effectiveness of voluntary programs. The purpose of this article is to estimate the additional effects of AESs targeting nonpoint source pollution from pesticides, focusing on one emblematic case study: herbicide use in vineyards. We use original data collected from winegrowers participating in AESs in the south of France, and we use exogenous variation in the timing of the implementation of the AESs as a natural experiment. We show that the quantity of herbicides used by participants in the program in 2012 was around 30% below what they would have used without the program, while the impact was significantly higher in 2011 - around 50% - presumably because of higher weed pressure. Although significant, these impacts remain smaller than what had been expected by policy makers. Focusing on the “zero herbicide between the vine rows” option, which is both the most often chosen as well as the least stringent among the measures, we moreover show the presence of windfall effects. Simple extrapolation of these results suggests that this level of effectiveness may not be sufficient to ensure water quality in the watersheds targeted by the AES.

Suggested Citation

  • Laure Kuhfuss & Julie Subervie, 2015. "Do agri-environmental schemes help reduce herbicide use? Evidence from a natural experiment in France," Discussion Papers in Environment and Development Economics 2015-05, University of St. Andrews, School of Geography and Sustainable Development.
  • Handle: RePEc:sss:wpaper:2015-05
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    Cited by:

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    3. Calvet, Coralie & Le Coent, Philippe & Napoleone, Claude & Quétier, Fabien, 2019. "Challenges of achieving biodiversity offset outcomes through agri-environmental schemes: Evidence from an empirical study in Southern France," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 113-125.
    4. Philippe Le Coent & Coralie Calvet, 2016. "Challenges of achieving biodiversity offsetting through agri-environmental schemes: evidence from an empirical study," Working Papers 16-10, LAMETA, Universtiy of Montpellier.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agri-environmental scheme; water quality; nonpoint source pollution; herbicides; pesticides; natural experiment.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water
    • Q28 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

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