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Environment and Development Research Group |
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Land and Wetland Management in
Developing Countries
Publications/Presentations: Knowler, D. and Bradshaw, B., 2007. "Farmer's
adoption of conservation agriculture: A review and synthesis of recent
research". Revised manuscript submitted to Food Policy 32: 25-48. Knowler, D. 2005. "'Short cut' techniques to incorporate environmental considerations into project appraisal: an exploration using case studies", Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 48(5): 747-770. Knowler, D. 2004. "The economics of soil productivity: local, national and global perspectives", Land Degradation and Development 15: 543-561. Knowler, D. 2001. The Economics of Soil Productivity in Sub-Saharan Knowler, D. and Bradshaw, B. 2001. The Economics of Conservation
Agriculture. Land and Water Division, FAO. Background Paper for the World
Food FAO. 1999. Incentives Systems for Natural Resources Management: the Role
of Indirect Incentives, Environmental Report Series 2, No. 99/023 IFAD-RAF.
Investment Centre, FAO, Barbier, E., Acreman, M. and Knowler, D. 1997. Economic Valuation of Wetlands - A Guide for Policy Makers. Ramsar Convention Bureau/IUCN. Available online at http://www.ramsar.org/lib/lib_valuation_e.pdf |
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Several
projects and papers have been undertaken involving the economics and policy
aspects of agriculture in developing countries (especially soil management
and sustainable agriculture). One project commissioned by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) examined the incentives for natural resource
management (NRM) at the household level and considered the various indirect
incentives for wise use of resources, finding that these exert considerable
influence on decision-making at farm level. Indirect incentives include:
government policies, international market conditions, institutional regimes
and financial profitability. A second project for FAO looked at the economics
of soil productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, but has wider relevance for a
host of tropical agro-ecosystems. The project considered the more
conventional economics of conserving soil productivity, citing a range of
values for the financial and economic returns from improved soil management.
These improvements can include the adoption of various conservation
technologies (e.g. mulching, agro-forestry), as well as more conventional
techniques (e.g. mineral fertilisers, rock phosphate). Finally, a third
project for FAO assessed the economics and policy aspects of
"conservation agriculture" (CA), which improves resource use
through an integrated management approach that contributes to sustainable
production. Its advantages include lower inputs, stable yields and improved
soil nutrient exchange. The study also found that CA is generally more profitable
than other conservation technologies but that efforts to promote conservation
agriculture will have to be tailored to reflect the particular conditions of
the locale in question.
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last updated: May 2009 |