IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jeborg/v243y2026ics0167268126000302.html

Balancing health and sustainability: Optimizing investments in organic vs. conventional agriculture through pesticide reduction

Author

Listed:
  • Bargna, Luca
  • La Torre, Davide
  • Maggistro, Rosario
  • Montmartin, Benjamin

Abstract

This paper investigates the trade-offs between organic and conventional farming methods, focusing on their respective impacts on health, environmental sustainability, and economic outcomes. Our contributions are twofold. First, we develop a theoretical model based on an optimal control problem to examine the dynamic allocation of investments between organic and conventional agriculture. This model incorporates critical social factors, including the environmental and health costs associated with pesticide use in conventional farming, as well as the long-term social benefits of organic practices. Second, we estimate the key parameters of the model using French data on pesticide levels in groundwater. This enables us to compute and analyze the optimal policy proposed by the model and derive implications for reallocating investments towards organic farming. The optimal policy emphasizes the necessity of a tailored approach across both spatial and time dimensions. Along the spatial dimension, areas with high pesticide concentrations should be prioritized, calling for place-based rather than place-neutral policies. Along the temporal dimension, earlier intervention strategies are warranted when social costs related to pesticide exposure are high or when the weight assigned to the environmental conditions of future generations is low. Overall, the optimal policy results in a more balanced distribution of pesticides across the territory.

Suggested Citation

  • Bargna, Luca & La Torre, Davide & Maggistro, Rosario & Montmartin, Benjamin, 2026. "Balancing health and sustainability: Optimizing investments in organic vs. conventional agriculture through pesticide reduction," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:243:y:2026:i:c:s0167268126000302
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2026.107442
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268126000302
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jebo.2026.107442?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or

    for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Ponti, Tomek & Rijk, Bert & van Ittersum, Martin K., 2012. "The crop yield gap between organic and conventional agriculture," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 1-9.
    2. Davide La Torre & Danilo Liuzzi & Simone Marsiglio, 2022. "Geographical heterogeneities and externalities in an epidemiological‐macroeconomic framework," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 24(5), pages 1154-1181, October.
    3. Emmanuelle Augeraud-Véron & Raouf Boucekkine & Vladimir Veliov, 2019. "Distributed optimal control models in environmental economics: a review," Post-Print hal-02194184, HAL.
    4. Boucekkine, Raouf & Ruan, Weihua & Zou, Benteng, 2023. "The irreversible pollution game," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    5. Verena Seufert & Navin Ramankutty & Jonathan A. Foley, 2012. "Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture," Nature, Nature, vol. 485(7397), pages 229-232, May.
    6. Torre, Davide La & Liuzzi, Danilo & Marsiglio, Simone, 2021. "Transboundary pollution externalities: Think globally, act locally?," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    7. Boucekkine, Raouf & Fabbri, Giorgio & Federico, Salvatore & Gozzi, Fausto, 2022. "Managing spatial linkages and geographic heterogeneity in dynamic models with transboundary pollution," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    8. Emmanuelle Augeraud-Véron & Raouf Boucekkine & Vladimir Veliov, 2019. "Distributed optimal control models in environment economics," Post-Print hal-02145182, HAL.
    9. Emmanuelle Augeraud-Véron & Raouf Boucekkine & Vladimir Veliov, 2019. "Distributed Optimal Control Models in Environmental Economics: A Review," Working Papers halshs-01982243, HAL.
    10. Deng, Xiumei & Huang, Qihua, 2024. "A toxicant-taxis reaction–diffusion model for the interaction between two species and a toxicant in an aquatic ecosystem," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    11. Aleksandra Fucic & Radu C. Duca & Karen S. Galea & Tihana Maric & Kelly Garcia & Michael S. Bloom & Helle R. Andersen & John E. Vena, 2021. "Reproductive Health Risks Associated with Occupational and Environmental Exposure to Pesticides," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-29, June.
    12. Boucekkine, R. & Fabbri, G. & Federico, S. & Gozzi, F., 2018. "Geographic environmental Kuznets curves: The optimal growth linear-quadratic case," Working Papers 2018-10, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    13. Xiaowen Dai & Shidan Huang & Libin Jin & Maozai Tian, 2023. "Wild Bootstrap-Based Bias Correction for Spatial Quantile Panel Data Models with Varying Coefficients," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, April.
    14. Xepapadeas, Anastasios, 2010. "The spatial dimension in environmental and resource economics," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(6), pages 747-758, December.
    15. de la Cruz, Vera Ysabel V. & Tantriani, & Cheng, Weiguo & Tawaraya, Keitaro, 2023. "Yield gap between organic and conventional farming systems across climate types and sub-types: A meta-analysis," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    16. Suraj Poudel & Bikash Poudel & Birochan Acharya & Puspa Poudel, 2020. "Pesticide Use And Its Impacts On Human Health And Environment," Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 4(1), pages 47-51:4, October.
    17. Eva-Marie Meemken & Matin Qaim, 2018. "Organic Agriculture, Food Security, and the Environment," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 10(1), pages 39-63, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Boucekkine, Raouf & Fabbri, Giorgio & Federico, Salvatore & Gozzi, Fausto, 2022. "Managing spatial linkages and geographic heterogeneity in dynamic models with transboundary pollution," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    2. Raouf Boucekkine & Giorgio Fabbri & Salvatore Federico & Fausto Gozzi, 2019. "A Spatiotemporal Framework for the Analytical Study of Optimal Growth Under Transboundary Pollution," Department of Economics University of Siena 813, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    3. Zuzana Fuksová & Iveta Bošková & Jana Hlaváčková & Marek Novák, 2025. "The economic aspects of organic farms selling their products to organic or conventional market," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 71(4), pages 218-227.
    4. Debuschewitz, Emil & Sanders, Jürn, "undated". "Bewertung der Umweltwirkungen des ökologischen Landbaus im Kontext der kontroversen wissenschaftlichen Diskurse," 61st Annual Conference, Berlin, Germany, September 22-24, 2021 317076, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA).
    5. Galioto, Francesco & Battilani, Adriano, 2021. "Agro-economic simulation for day by day irrigation scheduling optimisation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    6. Tshotsho, & Lippert, Christian & Zikeli, Sabine & Krimly, Tatjana & Barissoul, Ayoub & Feuerbacher, Arndt, 2024. "The role of management and farming practices, yield gaps, nutrient balance, and institutional settings in the context of large-scale organic conversion in Bhutan," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    7. Barbieri, Pietro & Starck, Thomas & Voisin, Anne-Sophie & Nesme, Thomas, 2023. "Biological nitrogen fixation of legumes crops under organic farming as driven by cropping management: A review," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    8. Silvia Faggian & Dominika Machowska & Agnieszka Wiszniewska-Matyszkiel, 2025. "Wealth Sharing or Rights Sharing? Stable Coalitions in Resource Extraction on Networks," Working Papers 2025: 18, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    9. Niraj Prakash Joshi & Luni Piya, 2021. "Food and Nutrient Supply from Organic Agriculture in the Least Developed Countries and North America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Tanushree Haldar & A. Damodaran, 2022. "Can cooperatives influence farmer’s decision to adopt organic farming? Agri-decision making under price volatility," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 5718-5742, April.
    11. Beadle, Brian, 2023. "The design and application of an agricultural sustainability index using item response theory," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 278112, March.
    12. Sarah Joseph & Hanno Friedrich, 2023. "Analyzing drivers of organic food sales–A pooled spatial data analysis for Hamburg (Germany)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(10), pages 1-29, October.
    13. Colombi, Greta & Martani, Enrico & Fornara, Dario, 2025. "Regenerative organic agriculture and soil ecosystem service delivery: A literature review," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    14. Paulo B. Brito, 2022. "The dynamics of growth and distribution in a spatially heterogeneous world," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 21(3), pages 311-350, September.
    15. Atanu Mukherjee & Emmanuel C. Omondi & Paul R. Hepperly & Rita Seidel & Wade P. Heller, 2020. "Impacts of Organic and Conventional Management on the Nutritional Level of Vegetables," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-25, October.
    16. Janet MacFall & Joanna Lelekacs & Todd LeVasseur & Steve Moore & Jennifer Walker, 2015. "Toward resilient food systems through increased agricultural diversity and local sourcing in the Carolinas," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 5(4), pages 608-622, December.
    17. Nesar Ahmed & Shirley Thompson & Giovanni M. Turchini, 2020. "Organic aquaculture productivity, environmental sustainability, and food security: insights from organic agriculture," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(6), pages 1253-1267, December.
    18. Bourceret, Amélie & Accatino, Francesco & Robert, Corinne, 2024. "A modeling framework of a territorial socio-ecosystem to study the trajectories of change in agricultural phytosanitary practices," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 494(C).
    19. Yiwen Chen & Nora Paulus & Xi Wan & Benteng Zou, 2024. "To Deploy or Not to Deploy CCS Abatement, and When : A Differential Game Perspective," DEM Discussion Paper Series 24-07, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    20. SIngh Verma, Juhee & Sharma, Pritee, 2019. "Potential of Organic Farming to Mitigate Climate Change and Increase Small Farmers’ Welfare," MPRA Paper 99994, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • C60 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - General
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General
    • Q10 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:243:y:2026:i:c:s0167268126000302. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jebo .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.