John H. Foster

Economic Criteria for Freshwater Wetland Policy in Massachusetts

The value of wildlife, visual-cultural benefits, water supply, and flood control benefits of wetlands (varied by benefit productivity levels) are determined with help from appropriate scientists. Comparison of benefit value with opportunity cost of wetland preservation is demonstrated as the basis for decisions concerning permits for wetland alteration.

The Hedonic Approach: No Panacea for Valuing Water Quality Changes

The hedonic approach has been advanced recently as an important tool for assessing the value of non-market environmental attributes. In its most usual form, the method involves an attempt econometrically to capture differential prices for homes attributable to variations in the environmental characteristic. This technique has been applied with success for a variety of attributes - most notably the study of air pollution. However, the case studies reported here for water quality valuation were much less successful. We advance several reasons why the hedonic approach may be ill-suited to measuring the value of water quality.

Understanding the commercializing farmer in developing countries

Abstract Successful agricultural development in developing countries requires farmers gradually to change from subsistence to commercial farming. During the transition period they can be called commercializing farmers. Farmers in these circumstances face major changes in their life styles and must learn numerous new skills, requirements often not recognized by change agents. They also have several unique economic characteristics not found among farmers who have completed the change to commercial farming. Successful response by commercializing farmers requires policy approaches which recognize these unique characteristics.

Energy Saving Landscapes

Landscape as an intrinsic community resource is shown to offer a significant opportunity for energy savings through locally grown food, protection of ground water, and recreational opportunities in contrast to the direct land conversion brought on by urban decentralization. Lacking local landscape, population centers must import goods at extra fuel cost. The Metropolitan Landscape Planning Model (Metland) of Massachusetts maps and assesses landscapes as regional resources in order to identify those areas with the greatest capability and to assign dollar values on a per-acre basis. Several scenarios are developed using four commodities--milk, apples, water, and sand and gravel--to test the theory that local landscape resources offer the best and least costly source of commodities and amenities. The implications for community growth and land use planning combine considerations of social and economic benefits to the community with the development of more efficient energy use patterns. 17 references.

Planning farm programmes for national agricultural diversification in developing countries

Planning of a national or regional programme to achieve national diversification of commodities sold by farmers must focus on the enterprise decision-making environment of commercialising farmers (i.e., farmers moving from diversified subsistence farming towards fully commercial farming). Because the two goals of meeting family needs and maximising net cash income must be merged, this environment is unique from that of wholly subsistence and fully commercial farmers. Four areas of uniqueness have been identified. Once planners have mastered an understanding of this environment, they can proceed to develop an integrated programme which will induce farmers to make nationally desired enterprise changes. In the discussion on planning such programmes, emphasis is given to the manipulation of both technical and socio-economic environmental elements. The primary consideration in this manipulation is assumed to be the nature and level of the incentive to change offered to farmers. This can have both positive and negative components but the farmers expectation of an attractive level of net cash income is considered to be an essential feature throughout the discussion.