The rational calculus of farmers assumed in many agricultural economic models is unrealistic and non-predictive of their actual decision making. Understanding structural change in agriculture can thus be improved via a realistic modeling of the decision making by agricultural entrepreneurs. Specifically, slow disinvestment (i.e., postponing farm exit), persistence of market structures (i.e., failure to reallocate land plots towards higher efficiency), and more generally characterizing the decision making of farmers are crucial for a better understanding of structural change and policy advice. We apply economic experiments to better understand such disinvestment choices, land markets with economies of scale and private opportunity costs, different auction and bargaining forms to improve allocation efficiency of land markets, and to generally characterize the decision making of farmers.
SULAMA is a participatory research project to support sustainable land management on the Mahafaly Plateau in south-western Madagascar. The focus of the first project-phase is set on the investigation of the present land-management to deduce the interdependencies and interactions between the local population and the ecosystematic conditions. Results of the first phase are used for stakeholder-based solutions to replace non-sustainable practices under the scenario of a growing human population, climate change, and prospective land transformation programs. In this project the Institute for World Forestry analyses the composition of the forest, the utilization of timber and non-wood goods and services (NWGS), and carbon stock changes in order to quantify the impact on the forest to provide ecosystem services and functions. In addition the potential of natural regeneration or enrichment planting in degraded or formerly forested sites will be assessed. For this purpose forest ecosystem indicator species are identified and changes in biomass over time are monitored. Thus, options for sustainable timber production and use of NWGS, carbon sequestration taking into account possible benefits from marketable CO2 certificates and the feasibility of enrichment plantings are derived. Together with local stakeholders tree nursieries will be developed and implemented. This is supported by the analyses of the forest and land-use development over time for different future climate change scenarios, facilitating the calculation of opportunity costs for the usage of wood and NWGS and the demonstration of alternative options for sustainable land-use management.
Im Rahmen des EU-Forschungsprogramms 'NEEDS' (New Energy Externalities: Developments for Sustainability) hat das Büro econcept grundlegende Arbeiten für eine neue Methodik zur monetären Bewertung von Biodiversitäts-Verlusten, basierend auf dem Ersatzkosten-Ansatz, geleistet. Im zweiten Schritt geht es darum, die Methodik zu verfeinern, die Transferierbarkeit auf verschiedene Länder zu prüfen, sowie die Resultate durch den Vergleich mit vorhandenen Willingness-to-Pay-Studien zu plausibilisieren.
Das Projekt mit Gesamtkosten von € 147'778 wird nur zu 50 % von der EU finanziert. Für die restlichen € 74'000 ist das Büro auf weitere Finanzquellen angewiesen.
Biodiversitäts-Verluste verursachen in der Schweiz bedeutende externe Kosten. Die monetäre Bewertung dieser Kosten stösst jedoch an methodische Grenzen. Insbesondere ist es heute schwierig, Aussagen zur Bewertung konkreter Einwirkungen wie Landnutzungsänderungen (pro m2) oder Schadstoffemissionen (pro kg Schadstoffemissionen) zu machen. Solche Aussagen wären aber im Hinblick auf das Management der Ressource 'Biodiversität' wichtig (Bsp. ökonomische Bewertung von Renaturierungs-Vorhaben).
Background: Energy crops, such as Miscanthus, used for heat and power production require fuel specifications which are not yet fully met. These include as low levels of Cl, K and N. Since there are significant differences in the fuel quality of various genotypes of Miscanthus it should be possible to improve the characteristics by selecting various traits in a breeding programme. Objectives of the project: The objectives of this shared costs action is to achieve a significant reduction in cleaning, maintenance and replacement cost for expensive heat exchangers (piping) in thermal conversion processes by reducing the fouling, slagging and corrosion characteristics of Miscanthus. Technical Approach: The technical approach is to minimize the concentrations of Cl, K and S in Miscanthus and the combining effects of these elements. This will be done by analysis of the genetics behind those components that cause fouling, slagging and corrosion. The following activities are included in the work programme: development of improved genotypes using molecular techniques; field tests of Miscanthus grown in different environments; thermal conversion trials in a laboratory scale plant - testing for fouling, slagging and corrosion; estimating the benefits of reduced Cl, S and K in boilers by means of high temperature chemical equilibrium calculations; Results of the project to date. Preliminary experiments have shown the potential of using biotechnology tools for the genetic improvement of Miscanthus in selecting quality traits for combustion. Work is in progress with field experiments and laboratory scale combustion facilities. Work of the Institute of Chemical Engineering Fundamentals and Plant Engineering (GLVT), Graz University of Technology, within the project: The role of GLVT in the project is to provide know how on deposition and corrosion problems in boilers biomass combustion plants as well as to perform high temperature equilibrium calculation in order to evaluate the benefits of an improved Miscanthus fuel with lower levels of Cl, S and K. Furthermore, GLVT does also support the project with SEM and chemical analyses of deposit and corrosion samples collected in the laboratory scale test runs performed by partner BTG.