This study is based on a panel survey interviewing 416 farmers practising conservation agriculture for at least five cropping seasons. Farmers obtained higher yields on conservation agriculture plots than on nonconservation agriculture ones. The mean maize yield on conservation agriculture was...

This 2008 report provides an economic overview of the Canadian agriculture and agri-food system. It is meant to be a multi-purpose reference document to provide: an introduction to the agriculture and agri-food system; a snapshot of structural changes that are occurring throughout the system in...

We examine the role of investment opportunities on the marginal cost of a backstop technology and the resulting implications for optimal depletion of a non-renewable resource. We consider the case in which two economic agents (individuals, cities, or nations) compete for a non-renewable...

This paper concerns the economic assessment of a nonconventional technology to provide a cheap food and/or feed for many developing countries, using wasted resources, i.e. coastal arid areas irrigated directly with seawater to grow a halophyte crop(Salicornia-sos-7). It was cultivated for two...

Most municipalities use conventional treatment to produce potable water. Historically, desalination has not been economically feasible, but technological advancements warrant a new analysis. This study analyzes the costs of two Texas municipal facilities producing water using the above...

This paper examines the ecosystem impacts of transgenic Bt cotton technology resulting from reduced chemical pesticide use. Employing unique panel data from smallholder farmers in central and southern India, negative environmental and health effects of pesticide use are quantified with the...

This paper examines the possibilities of breaking into the cellulosic ethanol market in south Louisiana via strategic feedstock choices and the leveraging of the area’s competitive advantages. A small plant strategy is devised whereby the first-mover problem might be solved, and several...

This paper describes research to create a national database of switchgrass supply as part of the biomass program launched by the Department of Energy. The paper provides an estimate of county level switchgrass yield data for the state of Oklahoma. The estimates are made for the top five most...

In the United States, biomass is the largest source of renewable energy accounting for over 3 percent of the energy consumed domestically and is currently the only source for liquid, renewable, transportation fuels. Continued development of biomass as a renewable energy source is being driven in...