Abstract

<p class="Abstract">Agri-environmental schemes (AES) in irrigated olive groves (IOG) in southern Spain were assessed based on farmers’ preferences toward these schemes. A choice experiment was used in this ex-ante assessment, with the inclusion of some innovative elements, such as collective participation and ecological focus areas (EFA). The results showed that farmers’ mean willingness to accept (WTA) participation in collective rather than individual AES was €124.5/ha. Their mean WTA for an additional 1% of EFA was €64.6/ha, while regarding the use of other agri-environmental practices, they showed a WTA of €6.3/ha and €114.7/ha for an additional 1% in the use of cover crops (CC) in olive grove areas and restrictive management of CC, respectively. These estimates were strongly influenced by farmers’ expectations and socio-economic characteristics, as well as farm management. We obtained that farmers’ expectations of no farm takeover reduce WTA for collective participation, whereas agricultural training and having at least a secondary-school education reduce farmers’ WTA for EFA and restrictive management of the CC, respectively. Conversely, harvesting ground olives increased farmers’ WTA for a high proportion of the area under CC. The analysis of the AES scenarios showed moderately high estimates of total WTA (€101-349/ha), especially when collective participation is required (€225-474/ha). The results supported the argument that there are efficient ways to encourage public goods provision, overcoming trade-offs with private goods provision by identifying the type of joint production.</p>

Highlights

  • The provision of public goods (PGs) is one of the most significant objectives of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) and is set to remain so in the foreseeable future (EC, 2010a)

  • A choice experiment was used in this ex-ante assessment, with the inclusion of some innovative elements, such as collective participation and ecological focus areas (EFA)

  • The results showed that farmers’ mean willingness to accept (WTA) participation in collective rather than individual Agri-environmental schemes (AES) was €124.5/ha

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Summary

Introduction

The provision of public goods (PGs) is one of the most significant objectives of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) and is set to remain so in the foreseeable future (EC, 2010a). This objective is the policy response to the EU society’s increasing demands for environmental and socio-cultural public goods and services produced by European agriculture (EC, 2010b). AES are multiannual and voluntary incentive-based payments to farmers for preserving and enhancing environmental PGs. AES are multiannual and voluntary incentive-based payments to farmers for preserving and enhancing environmental PGs The impact of these schemes derives from both their aggregated expenditure assigned

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