Economic Impact Assessment of Oilseed IPM Programs

Abstract

This chapter focuses on economic assessment of oilseed integrated pest management (IPM) programs. It provides an integrated approach for assessing potential economic impacts of oilseed IPM with an application to olive IPM program in Albania. The assessment approach includes: (1) assessing potential farm-level economic impacts; (2) assessing countrywide, market-level impacts; and (3) examining factors that influence the likely rate of IPM adoption. Economic benefits are projected for producers, consumers, and the country as a whole. Economic surplus analysis of technical change in the Albanian olive market is used to estimate the size and distribution of research benefits, incorporating simultaneous shifts in olive supply and demand due to IPM research-induced changes in per unit costs and in product quality, and research-induced spillovers to nontarget zones. With slight modifications, the assessment approach described in this chapter can be easily applied to evaluating IPM on various oilseed crops in different regions of the world.