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Some Hard Truths About Agriculture and the Environment

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  • Lichtenberg, Erik

Abstract

Environmental problems in agriculture have proven difficult to address due to the spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability intrinsic to agriculture. Agriculture is largely a struggle against nature; both its sustainability and the prospects for improving environmental performance and farm income simultaneously are thus inherently limited. Agriculture's high degree of variability makes direct regulation inefficient. Subsidies for improving environmental performance can have negative consequences and have proven ineffective in practice, due largely to bureaucratic culture. Pollution taxes should be the most effective and efficient form of policy. Interdisciplinary research is needed to provide models for performance evaluation.

Suggested Citation

  • Lichtenberg, Erik, 2004. "Some Hard Truths About Agriculture and the Environment," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 33(1), pages 24-33, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:agrerw:v:33:y:2004:i:01:p:24-33_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Jacquet, Florence & Butault, Jean-Pierre & Guichard, Laurence, 2011. "An economic analysis of the possibility of reducing pesticides in French field crops," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(9), pages 1638-1648, July.
    2. Zhang, Wendong, 2014. "Linking Farmers' Nutrient Management Choices with Downstream Environmental Quality," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170594, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Féménia, Fabienne & Letort, Elodie, 2016. "How to achieve significant reduction in pesticide use? An empirical evaluation of the impacts of pesticide taxation associated to a change in cropping practice," Working Papers 233482, Institut National de la recherche Agronomique (INRA), Departement Sciences Sociales, Agriculture et Alimentation, Espace et Environnement (SAE2).
    4. Cloé Garnache & Scott M. Swinton & Joseph A. Herriges & Frank Lupi & R. Jan Stevenson, 2016. "Solving the Phosphorus Pollution Puzzle: Synthesis and Directions for Future Research," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 98(5), pages 1334-1359.
    5. Femenia, Fabienne & Letort, Elodie, 2016. "How to significantly reduce pesticide use: An empirical evaluation of the impacts of pesticide taxation associated with a change in cropping practice," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 27-37.
    6. Femenia, Fabienne & Letort, Elodie, 2014. "Economic incentives to the adoption of low input cropping systems: the case of multi-resistant wheat cultivars in France," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182743, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Chang, Hung-Hao & Boisvert, Richard N. & Blandford, David, 2006. "The Implications of Geographic Heterogeneity for Multifunctional Rice Policy in Taiwan," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25254, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    8. James Shortle & Richard D. Horan, 2013. "Policy Instruments for Water Quality Protection," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 5(1), pages 111-138, June.
    9. James Shortle & Richard D. Horan, 2017. "Nutrient Pollution: A Wicked Challenge for Economic Instruments," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(02), pages 1-39, April.

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