Many economists are concerned with communicating the results of economic analysis or the implications of economic theory to policy makers. Our effectiveness in doing this varies widely for different individuals and different issues. The present paper is an attempt to provide practical advice to...

Dryland salinity has been conceived of as a problem involving massive off‐site impacts and therefore requiring coordinated action to ensure that land managers reduce those off‐site impacts. In economic terms, salinity is seen as a problem of market failure due to externalities, including...

This article reports on a study of the impact of risk on farm management practices in northern Syria, focusing particularly on how these are affected by risk aversion and farm size. The study is based on production data from an eight‐year field trial and on prices from market surveys. A large...

Spatial distribution of weeds in a crop is patchy. Traditional boom sprayers waste herbicide by applying it to areas where weed density is already low. A new technology, Weed Activated Spray Process (WASP), uses sensors to detect the presence of weeds and control spray nozzles accordingly. The...

Strategic‐basic research refers to basic research conducted in strategically selected areas expected to be of social benefit. Recent literature on the processes of basic research and its links to applied research has not been widely discussed in relation to agricultural research. This may have...

Invasive species are significant threats to biodiversity, natural ecosystems and agriculture leading to large worldwide economic and environmental damage. Spread and control of invasive species are stochastic processes with important spatial dimensions. Most economic studies of invasive species...

Herbicide-resistant annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) is having a dramatic impact on the management and profitability of continuous cropping systems of southern Australia. In many cases ryegrass populations have exhibited cross resistance. where development of resistance through repeated use of...

Batterham (1987) described a computer program which eases entry of mathematical programming data. Users of the program first use a text editor to enter data in a relatively efficient format, which the program then converts into MPS format as required by most mathematical programming solution...

The relevance of expert systems in agricultural economics research and extension is examined. Some of the limitations of existing expert systems are described. Expert systems are useful for storing and retrieving knowledge and for solving diagnostic problems but not for mathematical...