This paper modelled the participation decision of Irish farmers in an agri-environmental scheme. It also uses the sub sample of farmers in the National Farm Survey actively participating in the scheme in 2007 to model the various biodiversity options undertaken as a function of farmer...

Understanding what influences farmers’ decisions to participate in a voluntary agri-environmental scheme(AES) is essential for gauging scheme success. The Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) was a voluntary AES that was available to all Irish farmers from 1994 to 2009. This paper models...

This paper, using Ireland as a case study, examines the relationship between economic activities and river water quality. The stipulation from the EU water framework directive (WFD) that all surface waters in the EU must be of ‘good ecological status’ by 2015 necessitate a quantitative...

The Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) was introduced under Council Regulation 2078/92 in order to encourage farmers to carry out their activities in a more extensive and environmentally friendly manner. This paper looks at the general design of REPS and its uptake by farmers. It...

The measurement of travel costs in recreational demand modeling has been a contentious issue for many decades. This article explores the use of a number of alternative methods of incorporating time costs in the travel cost modeling process. Travel cost values where the opportunity cost of time...

This paper looks at the statistical matching technique used to match the Irish Census of Agriculture to the Irish National Farm Survey (NFS) to produce a farm level static spatial microsimulation model of Irish agriculture. The match produces a spatially disaggregated population microdata set of...

This paper considers the use of spatial microsimulation in the aggregation of regional environmental benefit values. The developed spatial microsimulation model uses simulated annealing to match the Irish Census of Agriculture data to a Contingent Valuation Survey that contains information on...

This paper uses eight years of data of the National Farm Survey (NFS) to analyse the statics and dynamics of the farm earnings distribution in the period 1994 to 2001, and asks the question: is the Irish farming sector close to a society where individuals move up and down the earnings ladder...

This paper considers the use of a “combinatorial optimization” technique in the aggregation of environmental benefit values. Combinatorial optimization is used to statistically match population census data to a Contingent Valuation survey. The matched survey and census information is then...