Jens Abildtrup

Multifunctional agriculture and multifunctional landscapes - land use as an interface

In contemporary sciences dealing with cultural landscapes, the concept of multifunctionality has gained increasing attention in the last decade. The scientific literature displays several attempts to frame the concept (e.g DeVries 2000; Anon 2001; de Groot et al. 2002) but there is much frustration regarding proper sets of broadly based definitions and clear statements concerning the authors’ scientific points of departure (Anon 2001). Multifunctionality is on the one hand used to characterize the activities in the primary production sector, and the land use reflecting the material consequences of the various demands set by the society on land territories — these approaches relate to the agricultural understanding of multifunctionality. On the other hand, multifunctionality is used to characterize the landscape per se. The primary production sector (i.e. agriculture, forestry, horticulture and related land dependent activities) is considered having a primary or main function (production), and related joint productions, typically including a mix of material and non-tangible goods as well as a mix of private and public goods (externalities). Production of food and fibres is generally considered the primary products in this context, but the primary sector produces other material goods too, such as CO2 sequestration, groundwater recharge etc.

Positive and Negative Agglomeration Externalities: Arbitration in the Pig Sector

Abstract In this study we analyse the determinants of pig production location in Denmark with a particular focus on positive and negative agglomeration externalities. Based on the theory of agglomeration and a discussion of the organization of the Danish pig production sector, a model of pig production is developed and tested empirically, applying the FG2SLS approach. Our results show that technical and pecuniary externalities have a positive effect on location, while the impact of environmental regulations is ambiguous. Indeed, the results show that urbanization economies are more important than the negative impact of land competition at the local level, but that neighbouring land competition implied by environmental regulations seems to have a negative effect on location. Externalités dagglomérations positives et négatives: arbitrage dans le secteur de la production porcine Résumé Dans la présente étude, nous analysons les déterminants de la localisation de la production porcine au Danemark, en insistant tout particulièrement sur les externalités dagglomération positives et négatives. Nous créons un modèle pour la production porcine, sur la base de la théorie de lagglomération et de discussions sur lorganisation du secteur de la production porcine au Danemark, et nous le testons de façon empirique, en appliquant la méthode FG2SLS. Nos résultats indiquent que les externalités techniques et pécuniaires ont un effet positif sur la localisation , alors que limpact des rėglementations environnementales est ambigu. Externalidades de la aglomeración positiva y negativa: arbitraje en el sector porcino Extracto En este estudio analizamos los determinantes de la ubicación de la producción de cerdos en Dinamarca con un enfoque particular en las externalidades de la aglomeración positiva y negativa. Basado en la teoría de la aglomeración y en una discusión sobre la organización del sector de la producción de cerdos danesa, se desarrolla y ensaya empíricamente un modelo de producción de cerdos, aplicando el planteamiento FG2SLS. Nuestros resultados muestran que las externalidades técnicas y pecuniarias tienen un efecto positivo sobre la ubicación, mientras que el impacto de las normativas medioambientales es ambiguo.

Combining RP and SP data while accounting for large choice sets and travel mode – an application to forest recreation

This paper analyses the use of forests for recreational purposes in Lorraine, France, a region with many forests and easy access for recreational users. This implies that residents in Lorraine can choose between a large set of forests if they decide to visit a forest. The abundance of forests in Lorraine makes identification of the visited forests difficult. To facilitate identification of forests actually visited, we have incorporated an interactive map in a Web-based survey intended to include both revealed and stated preference data. We compare different sampling schemes to define the choice set used for site selection modelling when the actual choice set considered is potentially large and unknown to the analyst. Easy access to forests also implies that around half of the visitors walk or bike to the forest. We apply an error-component mixed-logit model to simultaneously model the travel mode decision and the site selection decision and to combine revealed and stated preference data. Finally, the effect on the willingness-to-pay of changes in forest quality and access is evaluated based on alternative choice set specifications, model specifications and data sources (revealed and stated preference data).

Does the Coase theorem hold in real markets? An application to the negotiations between waterworks and farmers in Denmark

The Coase theorem depends on a number of assumptions, among others, perfect information about each others payoff function, maximising behaviour and zero transaction costs. An important question is whether the Coase theorem holds for real market transactions when these assumptions are violated. This is the question examined in this paper. We consider the results of Danish waterworks attempts to establish voluntary cultivation agreements with Danish farmers. A survey of these negotiations shows that the Coase theorem is not robust in the presence of imperfect information, non-maximising behaviour and transaction costs. Thus, negotiations between Danish waterworks and farmers may not be a suitable mechanism to achieve efficiency in the protection of groundwater quality due to violations of the assumptions of the Coase theorem. The use of standard schemes or government intervention (e.g. expropriation) may, under some conditions, be a more effective and cost efficient approach for the protection of vulnerable groundwater resources in Denmark.

Revitalisation of Common Use in Management of Modern Multifunctional Landscapes

Abstract Land areas in collective ownership or use are traditionally referred to as commons. Through history, the common use and ownership has been a widespread means of regulating the use of natural resources. Changing economic conditions and technology spawned a process however where land use rights and landowner rights aggregated into the modern form of private ownership of individual farms with full management and owner rights. This process had obvious rationales in terms of production of marketable agricultural products. However, in the twentieth century increasing awareness of the supply of externalities such as clean groundwater and recreational opportunities from landscapes turned the attention once again to commons as an instrument for managing natural resources. Using groundwater and coastal landscapes as case examples, we pinpoint problems where outputs from the landscape are multiple consisting of a mix of public and private goods. In some instances central intervention is needed to ensure provision of public goods. In situations where transaction costs are too high to justify the guaranteed supply of goods, local initiatives, cooperatives and networks may be suitable regulatory alternatives to the predominant private and individualised ownership. It is concluded that the management regimes chosen should reflect the dominant functionality of the area in question.

The regulation of hunting: A game population based tax on hunters

This paper examines a tax/subsidy on hunters based on game population. The tax/subsidy is the difference between actual and optimal population multiplied by an individual, variable tax rate. The tax rate is, among other things, based on the difference between the marginal value of the game population to the hunter and the regulator and differences in user costs of the population. The paper shows that the population tax/subsidy secures a first-best optimum.

Scale, location, and spatial interactions in the analysis of natural resources : lessons for forest economics

The goal of this special section is to demonstrate how the intrinsic characteristics of forest and land economics require spatial approaches. The analyses highlight that forest land use policies could be improved by considering spatial heterogeneities and spatial interdependence between agents and locations.

The effect of experience on choosing where to go: an application to a choice experiment on forest recreation

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of experience on the choice of visits to forests in a stated discrete choice experiment. Recent literature has indicated that experiences with the environmental services valuated may increase the respondents certainty in their choice of hypothetical alternatives. We apply two indicators of experiences: the number of visits and the number of different forests visited during the last year. Applying the generalized multinomial logit model, we find that an increase in the number of visits to forests makes respondents choices more predictable. However, the number of different forests visited reduces the predictability of choices. Furthermore, we investigate the relationship between respondents experience of forest recreation and the self-reported choice certainty, controlling for respondents social-demographics and other design characteristics. Finally, we show that self-reported choice certainty is positive correlated with the scale factor, as expected.

Les déterminants de la valeur récréative des forêts : l’exemple de la Lorraine

La recreation occupe une place importante parmi les multiples fonctions de la foret. Les forets sont parmi les sites recreatifs preferes des Francais. Ces derniers ont un consentement a payer considerable pour frequenter les forets. Ainsi, a partir dune enquete telephonique realisee en 2001, Garcia et Jacob (2010) ont estime la valeur totale de la recreation en foret en France metropolitaine a 8,5 milliards deuros. En outre, leurs resultats indiquent que le consentement a payer pour une visite en foret varie significativement selon les regions : lestimation des surplus individuels par visite montre des variations de la valeur recreative des forets en France allant de 0a47 € (1) . Dans cet article, nous presentons les resultats dune enquete effectuee en 2010 sur lusage recreatif des forets en Lorraine, une region caracterisee par un taux de boisement relativement eleve ( 36 %) et une densite de population moyenne de 100 hab./km2 . Lexistence dautres etudes sur la foret en Lorraine (Despres et Normandin, 1998) permet de comparer nos resultats. A la difference de ces enquetes anterieures, notre approche nous permet destimer les prefe- rences pour lusage recreatif de differents types de forets et differents equipements pour laccueil du public. Connaitre ces preferences permet davoir une gestion des forets publiques et privees plus adaptee au bien-etre de la population. Avant de presenter les resultats, nous decrivons brie- vement le questionnaire et la mise en œuvre de lenquete.

Does the agro-food industry impact on changes in regional employment and population? The case of Denmark

Abstract This paper uses a regional adjustment model to compare employment and population change in Denmark from 1997 to 2006. The classical Boarnet model is modified by explicitly addressing employment in the agro-food, manufacturing, and services sectors, allowing an investigation into the role of the agro-industry in regional development. We find that employment growth in the agro-food sector has a positive impact on population growth, while employment growth in the agro-food sector has no significant impact on the employment growth in manufacturing and service sectors. We also find that agro-food sector employment is not particularly associated with rural areas. Agro-food employment has experienced higher growth in urban areas (with higher density) than in rural areas. Furthermore, there is no impact of easier access to the agricultural sector on agro-food employment.