The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of macroeconomic and trade policies on the agricultural sector in South Africa. Macroeconomic and trade policies are determined outside the agricultural sector and since the 1990s South Africa has been moving towards deregulation and...

The research was conducted for a representative 50 ha farm in the Onderberg region in Mpumalanga province, where farmers use a combination of centre-pivot, drip, and dragline systems of different sizes to grow sugarcane. The main intention was to establish a multi-period linear programming model...

This paper presents an estimate of the price elasticity of supply for tobacco output in Zimbabwe using an adapted Nerlovian model. The results indicate a short-run elasticity of +0.34 and a long-run elasticity of +0.81, suggesting that tobacco farmers are highly unresponsive to price changes....

An elicitation format prevalently applied in discrete choice experiments (DCEs) offers each respondent a sequence of choice tasks. Each choice task contains more than two choice options. Empirical evidence shows, however, that repeated choice tasks influence choice behaviour through...

We compare three parametric techniques to approximate Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations via unidimensional and multidimensional problems. The linear programming technique is very efficient for unidimensional problems and offers a balance of speed and accuracy for multidimensional problems. A...

The key tasks in the design of a choice modelling (CM) experiment are to define the scope, scale and frame of the tradeoffs presented to respondents. This study explores the scale and scope of choice tasks and then develops definitions of these terms. The scope of a good in a stated preference...

Choice experiments (CE) are increasingly used as a stated preference technique to value changes in non-market goods. Respondents to a CE survey are asked to make repeated choices between alternatives. Each alternative is described by a number of attributes – the attributes levels vary across...

To elicit household willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in environmental quality in three NSW catchments (Lachlan, Namoi and Hawkesbury-Nepean), a choice modelling (CM) study was conducted. This report presents results of research designed to investigate variations in WTP across different...

This report compares evaluation frameworks for selecting landholder proposals to improve water quality. A water quality tender performed in the Burdekin region in Northern Australia in 2007/2008 was used as a case study. Tender bids can be assessed using an inputs-based best management practice...

Invasive species create particular challenges for policy makers .Some deliberately introduced species contribute significantly to agricultural production and other purposes. However, many invasive weed and animal pests generate substantial costs through impacts on agricultural production,...