Krishna P. Paudel

Factors Influencing and Steps Leading to the Adoption of Best Management Practices by Louisiana Dairy Farmers

A logistic regression procedure was used to assess the impact of socioeconomic attributes on the best management practices (BMPs) adoption decision by Louisiana dairy farmers relative to cost-share and fixed incentive payments. Analysis of the steps in the BMP adoption decision process indicated visits between producers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Natural Resource Conservation Service significantly increase likelihood of BMP adoption. Producer willingness-to-pay results indicate that marginal increases in dairy BMP adoption and associated improvement in environmental quality require increased technical and financial assistance.

Searching for an environmental Kuznets curve in carbon dioxide pollutant in Latin American countries.

This study utilized a semiparametric panel model to estimate environmental Kuznets curves (EKC) for carbon dioxide (CO2) in 15 Latin American countries, using hitherto unused data on forestry acreage in each country. Results showed an N-shaped curve for the region; however, the shape of the curve is sensitive to the removal of some groups of countries. Specification tests support a semiparametric panel model over a parametric quadratic specification.

Functional form of the environmental Kuznets curve

This is a survey paper of the recent literature on the application of semiparametric–econometric advances to testing for functional form of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). The EKC postulates that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth (typically measured by income) and pollution; that is, as economic growth expands, pollution increases up to a maximum and then starts declining after a threshold level of income. This hypothesized relationship is simple to visualize but has eluded many empirical investigations. A typical application of the EKC uses panel data models, which allows for heterogeneity, serial correlation, heteroskedasticity, data pooling, and smooth coefficients. This vast literature is reviewed in the context of semiparametric model specification tests. Additionally, recent developments in semiparametric econometrics, such as Bayesian methods, generalized time-varying coefficient models, and nonstationary panels are discussed as fruitful areas of future research. The cited literature is fairly complete and should prove useful to applied researchers at large.

Rotational Grazing Adoption in Cattle Production Under a Cost-Share Agreement: Does Uncertainty Have a Role in Conservation Technology Adoption?

Rotational grazing has been promoted as a best management practice with environmental benefits and associated higher revenue. Its adoption rate has been relatively low. This study investigates the role of uncertainty in the adoption of rotational grazing with a cost-share by cattle producers. Mail survey results indicate that 63–71 per cent of cattle producers are uncertain about adoption with a government cost-share. The study suggests that the possibility of uncertainty should be considered in cases where willingness-to-pay is elicited in the context of adoption of technology.

Awareness of and Application to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program By Cow–Calf Producers

This study uses a bivariate probit model with partial observability to examine Louisiana beef producers awareness of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and how awareness translates to application to the program. Results indicate that awareness of and application to the EQIP depend on portion of income derived from off-farm sources, extent of previous best management practice adoption at ones own expense, household income, farmed land that is highly erodible, contact with Natural Resource Conservation Service and extension service personnel, and producer age.

Mixed Integer Linear Fractional Programming for Conjunctive Use of Surface Water and Groundwater

AbstractA conjunctive-use model is developed for management of groundwater and surface water resources via mixed integer linear fractional programming (MILFP). The objective of the conjunctive-use model is to maximize the ratio of groundwater usage to surface water usage through a water supply network. A conditional head constraint is imposed to the conjunctive-use model to maintain aquifer sustainability. A transformation approach is introduced to transform the conditional head constraint into a set of mixed integer linear constraints in terms of groundwater head. Groundwater head is further linearized with respect to pumping rates that are decision variables. Eventually, the conjunctive-use model is to solve a successive MILFP problem by updating the response matrix in each iteration. To make an MILFP problem tractable, the study develops a transformation technique along with the Charnes–Cooper transformation approach to transform an MILFP problem into an equivalent problem of mixed integer linear progr...