Optimal Land Allocation Research Articles

Forest Vintages and Carbon Sequestration

In the current paper we examine the role of forest carbon sequestration benefits in optimal forest management. When carbon benefits are considered not only the forested area is relevant, but also the flow of carbon between land and the atmosphere through the carbon cycle. To account for all these impacts a multi-vintage forest setting is used, following Salo and Tahvonen (2004). The model is extended to three different carbon accounting methods to measure the benefits form carbon sequestration: carbon flow regime, tonne-year crediting and average storage. In the case of the carbon flow regime, the impact on the optimal management and allocation of land will depend upon the amount of carbon released when the forest is harvested. Under the other two accounting systems optimal steady state forest area will be increased, and in cases where optimal management imply cyclical harvesting, considering carbon benefits will always increase cycles dimension.

Land use optimization in watershed scale

Managing a watershed for satisfying the inhabitant's demand is a difficult task if one has to maintain a reasonable balance between usually conflicting environmental flows and demands. The solution to these complex issues requires the use of mathematical techniques to take into account conflicting objectives. Many optimization models exist for general management systems but there is a knowledge gap in linking practical problems with the optimum use of all land resources under conflicting demands in a watershed. In the present study, an optimization problem has been formulated for the Brimvand watershed, Iran, comprising ca. 9572 ha to find out the most suitable land allocation to different land uses, viz. orchard, irrigated farming, dry farming and rangeland targeting soil erosion minimization and benefit maximization. Soil erosion, net benefit and land capability maps were provided as inputs to formulate the objective functions and governing constraints in a multiobjectives linear optimization problem. The problem was then solved using the simplex method with the help of ADBASE software package and the optimal solution was ultimately determined. Additionally, sensitivity analysis was also conducted to recognize more effective land use in reducing soil erosion and increasing benefit. The results of the study revealed that the amount of soil erosion and benefit could, respectively reduce and increase to the tune of 7.9 and 18.6%, in case of implementing optimal allocation of the study land uses. The results of sensitivity analyses also showed that the objective functions were strongly susceptible to the constraint of maximum summation of irrigated farming and orchard areas.

Goal Programming Model for Agricultural Land Allocation Problems

Most of the real-world problems in the agricultural sector are multi-objective. Multi-objective programming techniques such as lexicographic goal programming (LGP) can be used to solve agricultural land allocation problems. The purpose of this paper is to present an LGP model for optimal allocation of land under cultivation and to propose an annual agricultural plan for the various crops.. Sensitivity analysis on the priority structure of the goals as defined in the LGP model was performed to obtain different solutions in the decision-making environment. The study uses Euclidean distance function to measure distances of all possible solutions from the ideal solution. The minimum distance from different solutions to the ideal solution identifies the best compromise solution, and the associated priority structure is the appropriate structure according to the decision-making situation. The effectiveness of the LGP model is demonstrated via a case example.

Optimization of multi-objective cropping pattern using linear and goal programming approaches

Irrigation planning and scheduling are essential components of water management in irrigated agriculture. For this purpose, optimal allocation of land and water is required for optimization of cropping pattern under a set of limitations. In this paper, an attempt was made to optimize the cropping pattern for Barna irrigation project using Linear and Goal Programming (LP and GP) approaches. Three different objectives such as maximization of net return, protein and calorie values were considered for optimization of cropping pattern. The factors like amount of net return, values of protein and calorie, and quantum of water utilized for irrigation by LP and GP were considered for selection of best approach for optimization of cropping pattern for the project. The paper presents the methodology adopted in optimizing the cropping pattern using LP and GP approaches and the results obtained from the study. GP approach was found to be best for optimization of cropping pattern for the project.

Fuzzy goal programming for agricultural land allocation problems

This paper presents a fuzzy goal programming (FGP) approach for optimal allocation of land under cultivation and proposes an annual agricultural plan for different crops. In the model formulation, goals such as crop production, net profit, water and labor requirements, and machine utilization are modeled as fuzzy. A tolerance based FGP technique is used to quantify fuzziness of different goals for the problem. The fuzzy goals are transformed to linear constraints by introducing tolerance variables. The program then minimizes the values of the weighted sum of tolerance allowance variables for the highest membership grades, providing the most satisfactory set of allocations possible. As a measure of sensitivity, the problem is solved using different weight structures specified by the decision maker. A case study is provided to illustrate the usefulness of the method. .

Improving adoptability of farm forestry in the Philippine uplands: a linear programming model

In the Philippines, smallholder farmers have become major timber producers. But the systems of timber production practiced have several limitations. In intercropping systems, the practice of severe branch and/or root pruning reduces tree-crop competition and increases annual crop yields, but is detrimental to tree growth and incompatible with commercial timber production. In even-aged woodlots, lack of regular income and poor tree growth, resulting from farmers’ reluctance to thin their plantations, are major constraints to adoption and profitable tree farming. In the municipality of Claveria, Misamis Oriental, the recent practice of planting trees on widely spaced (6–8 m) contour grass strips established for soil conservation suggests ways to improve the adoptability (i.e., profitability, feasibility and acceptability) of timber-based agroforestry systems. Assuming that financial benefits are the main objective of timber tree farmers, we develop a simple linear programming (LP) model for the optimal allocation of land to monocropping and tree intercropping that maximizes the net present value of an infinite number of rotations and satisfies farmers’ resource constraints and regular income requirements. The application of the LP model to an average farmer in Claveria showed that cumulative additions of widely spaced tree hedgerows provides higher returns to land, and reduce the risk of agroforestry adoption by spreading over the years labour and capital investment costs and the economic benefits accruing to farmers from trees. Therefore, incremental planting of widely spaced tree hedgerows can make farm forestry more adoptable and thus benefit a larger number of resource-constrained farmers in their evolution towards more diverse and productive agroforestry systems.

Choice modelling to determine the significance of environmental amenity and production alternatives in the community value of peri-urban land: Sunshine Coast, Australia

Expanding urban areas such as Queensland's Sunshine Coast face growing land use conflicts among urban, agricultural and conservation uses. Private allocation decisions influenced by potential market rents often exclude non-use value of environmental benefits leading to both socially undesirable and economically inefficient outcomes. We present the results of a choice modelling study in the Sunshine Coast to estimate community values for peri-urban land in production and conservation. We examine the implications of the value estimates in the optimal allocation of land for sugarcane on the basis of total economic value from all land uses including the preservation of unique and threatened vegetation.

Groundwater extraction for irrigation of Coffea canephora in Ea Tul watershed, Vietnam—a risk evaluation

After the reunion of North and South Vietnam in 1975, the area under small-holder, irrigated cultivation of Coffea canephora increased by a factor of 10 in the Central Highlands. The actual acreage under coffee in Dak Lak province is estimated to be over 260,000 ha, representing 60% of the national production, with 405,000 t per year for the world market. Vietnam is presently the second largest exporter worldwide and expansion is still going on. In response to farmers’ alarming reports of apparent water scarcity in the dry season, this paper assesses the groundwater recharge in the Ea Tul watershed, a representative area in the Central Highlands region. The groundwater recharge is estimated by means of a steady-state, water balance model and validated by means of historical data, stream gauge records at the basin's outlet and groundwater level fluctuations in wells nearby the study area. To account for the variability from one year to another, the input of the water balance equation was subjected to a frequency analysis. The estimates indicate that the expected annual groundwater recharge is 743 mm in a wet year, 517 mm in an average and 361 mm in a dry year. Validation and literature reviews confirm these figures. Subsequently the model is used to evaluate the issue of aquifer depletion and to verify whether a combination of optimal irrigation management and optimal land allocation for Robusta coffee could solve the apparent water shortages in the coffee sector. Allowing for a minimum river discharge under very dry circumstances (i.e. the Q 90 of river base flow), the sustainable yield from the aquifer for variable climatic conditions is calculated. The results confirm that with the present irrigation application depths, the groundwater is likely to be depleted in dry years, but not in wet and average years. Reducing the irrigation application depths could keep the groundwater balance positive in all years. Optimization of land allocation for C. canephora may offer an alternative way out. A reduction by 35% of the present coffee area in Ea Tul along with irrigation efficiency improvement could keep the groundwater resources in balance and guarantees a minimum river discharge, even during severe dry seasons.

Considering Aquacultural Externality in Coastal Land Allocation Decisions in India

Commercial aquaculture in India has come under attack for having caused negative agricultural and environmental impacts. This paper formulates an interactive model of non-renewable and renewable resources to characterize land allocations between aquaculture and agriculture in ecologically and economically sustainable fashion. Through an empirical application, various economic and policy circumstances that affect the optimal land allocation mix are evaluated. The aquaculture industry must address two economic effects: off-site negative effects on renewable food and other coastal resources, and on-site self-pollution of shrimp ponds. Current regulatory and land-use policies are inadequate to address these effects.

Effects of drainage salinity evolution on irrigation management

A soil physics theory of solute movement through a drained saturated zone underlying agricultural land is introduced into a long‐term economic analysis of farm‐level irrigation management; this is an alternative to the immediate, homogeneous blending assumption employed in previous studies as a base for calculating changes in drainage salinity over time. Using data from California, the effect of drainage salinity evolution is analyzed through a year‐by‐year profit optimization under the requirement of on‐farm drainage disposal. Paths of optimal land allocation among crop production with fresh surface water, saline drainage reuse and evaporation ponds appear to depend on the relative profitability of the first two; that of reuse is affected by the trend of drainage salinity. Tile spacing and environmental regulations associated with evaporation ponds affect the timing of evaporation pond construction. The system converges into a solution involving both drainage‐disposal activities; this solution includes an outlet for salts and is therefore sustainable. Following this strategy, the system is asymptotically approaching a steady state that possesses both hydrological and salt balances. Economic implications associated with land retirement programs in California are discussed.

Using land as a control variable in density-dependent bioeconomic models

The bioeconomic analysis of endangered species without consumptive values can be problematic when analysed with density-dependent models that assume a fixed environment size. Most bioeconomic models use harvest as a control variable, yet when modelling non-harvestable species, frequently the only variable under control of conservationists is the quantity of habitat to be made available. The authors explore the implications of this in a model developed to analyse the potential population recovery of New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguin. The penguin faces severe competition with man for the terrestrial resources required for breeding and has declined in population to perilously low levels. The model was developed to estimate the land use required for recovery and preservation of the species and to compare the results to current tourism-driven conservation efforts. It is demonstrated that land may serve as a useful control variable in bioeconomic models and that such a model may be useful for determining whether sufficient incentives exist to preserve a species. However, the model may generate less useful results for providing a specific estimate of the optimal allocation of land to such a species.

Optimal Allocation of Land between Productive Use and Recreational Use

Abstract This paper is an inquiry into the optimal allocation of time and natural areas to recreational uses, which have the feature of being a pure and continuous public good. We address this issue with a comprehensive approach. A static rational general equilibrium framework is developed in which heterogeneous agents allocate land and time endowments between alternative uses. This modeling has important advantages. First, Pareto‐optimal and voluntary‐contribution equilibrium allocations are obtained in a unified set‐up. Second, the suboptimality result of the decentralized equilibrium, the free‐rider problem on the provision of this nonexcludable public good, and different mechanisms to return the economy to its first‐best are analyzed. Finally, a methodological critique is made of some empirical literature, and it is suggested that our theoretical microeconomic‐based structure seems to be a suitable starting point for empirical research.

Agri-environmental externalities: a framework for designing targeted policies

The optimal provision of agri-environmental externalities is studied in a model of endogenous input use and land allocation augmented by their effects on biodiversity, landscape diversity and nutrient runoffs. Whereas biodiversity and landscape diversity are public good aspects of agriculture, nutrient runoffs are negative externalities. We show that fertiliser use is higher and the size of buffer strips lower at the private optimum than at the social optimum. The socially optimal land allocation differs from the private solution as a result of the valuation of diversity benefits and runoff damages. The socially optimal policy under heterogeneous land quality involves a differentiated fertiliser tax and a differentiated buffer strip subsidy. We use Finnish data to characterise empirically the socially optimal design of policy instruments. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.

The Optimal Allocation of Land between Alternative Support Schemes: an Exploration of Claims for Arable Area Payments

Journal of Agricultural EconomicsVolume 53, Issue 2 p. 283-298 The Optimal Allocation of Land between Alternative Support Schemes: an Exploration of Claims for Arable Area Payments David Colman, Corresponding Author David Colman David Colman is Professor of Agricultural Economics in CAFRE, School of Economic Studies, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence.Search for more papers by this authorPavel Vavra, Corresponding Author Pavel Vavra Pavel Vavra is Economic Analyst in Trade and Markets at OECD in Paris. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence.Search for more papers by this author David Colman, Corresponding Author David Colman David Colman is Professor of Agricultural Economics in CAFRE, School of Economic Studies, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence.Search for more papers by this authorPavel Vavra, Corresponding Author Pavel Vavra Pavel Vavra is Economic Analyst in Trade and Markets at OECD in Paris. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence. E-mail: [email protected] for correspondence.Search for more papers by this author First published: 12 September 2005 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-9552.2002.tb00021.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Volume53, Issue2July 2002Pages 283-298 RelatedInformation

Exploratory spatial optimization in site search: a neighborhood operator approach

Simultaneously locating and configuring the best site for a given land use or activity is a complex planning problem. This paper describes a method for addressing this problem that relies on a point-to-area neighborhood operator applied to a raster model of geographic space. This represents a synthesis of concepts drawn from cartographic modeling, optimal land allocation, and suitability mapping. The approach generates a mathematical field of best site boundaries that we call a site field. A site field does not lend itself to static visualization in two dimensions, and an interface for interactively exploring its contents is described. A significant benefit of adopting a neighborhood operator approach is that it serves to spatially decompose the global site search problem into a set of smaller, local problems. Therefore, the computational effort required to solve an optimal site search problem for a given cell in a raster representation of space is not tied to the number of cells in the global data set.

Optimal growth and land preservation

A model of optimal economic growth with a constant population subject to a constraint on the availability of land is presented. It takes account of the dual character of land as a production factor and as a consumption good (environmental amenities) by determining the optimal intertemporal allocation of land between productive and recreational uses. An extension of the analysis for the case of a growing population with endogenous growth based on human capital accumulation shows that if the rate of discount is not very low, then there exists a set of balanced growth paths compatible with a constant allocation of land.

Mechanism Design and Village Economies: From Credit to Tenancy to Cropping Groups

Various mechanism design models are used to study the allocation of risk and the allocation of productive resources in one ICRISAT village of India's semiarid tropics. This is done with the use of a specialty data base which tracked intensively the operation of a salient village institution. A cropping group is an institution in which multiple tenants pool risk and resources and jointly farm the land of a single landowner under either a fixed- or share-rent contract. The major findings in the specialty data are as follows. First, as theory might predict, sharecropping and even fixed-rent contracts have implicit and explicit risk contingencies. Second, as theory might predict, credit-financed inputs and crop operations are sometimes under the control of a landowner or single outside creditor. One should not take for granted unobserved side exchange or unrestricted access to credit markets. Third, as theory and the revelation principle might predict, interim plot and crop conditions are communicated to participating landowners and to outside creditors on a regular basis. Fourth, there is indirect evidence for information–incentive problems, and attempts to control them via costly state verification, in the sense that there is physical monitoring of plot and crop operations by participating landowners; still, monitoring by outside creditors is rare. Fifth, and related to communication and monitoring, ex post information sets of participating landowners are close to but slightly less accurate than the information sets of tenants throughout the cropping season. Sixth, income risks, the risks of sickness and unemployment, and productive inputs all appear to be shared within groups. Group members tend to work together and thus presumably to have good information about one another. This would allow them to enter into a group contract which, despite collusion against the landowner or creditor, is beneficial for all in risk and input reallocation. Seventh, owner-operated, single-tenancy, and group plots all coexist with each other. Insurance may be better within groups than across groups, or better for groups than for owner–operators, but in one land-allocation model this insurance comes at a cost, and so the optimal allocation of land allows the coexistence of various arrangements. Eight, some landowners do pay attention to intertemporal asset movements and debt positions of tenants, but some do not; long-term relations seem governed in part by explicit intertemporal tie-ins, but limited commitment, turnover, and reputation also seem to play an important role.Journal of Economic LiteratureClassification Numbers: D82, C81, D23, D50

The Economics of Tropical Forest Land Use Options

Tropical deforestation is generally characterized as conversion of forest land to alternative uses, notably agriculture. This would suggest the need for rational decision making concerning the optimal allocation of tropical forest land between competing uses. The following paper explores this problem by devising rules for determining optimal land use allocation between timber and agriculture at the stand and forest levels. A complementary intertemporal model for optimal allocation of forest land to agricultural conversion at the forest level is also developed and used to derive a demand relationship for agricultural conversion, which is then approximated through empirical estimation.

Estimating crop supply response in the presence of farm programmes: application to the CAP

This paper proposes an analytical framework allowing estimation of the effects of the new instrumentation of the CAP in the arable crop sector--price cuts, compensatory payments and land set-aside schemes--on crop acreage allocations, supplies and yields. Duality theory is used to model crop supply response in the presence of voluntary acreage control programmes and direct aids per hectare to producers. The definition of a profit function where total land is fixed but allocatable to the various crops allows us to obtain, via the envelope theorem, output and variable input equations, which can be used with the first-order conditions for an optimal land allocation as a basis for comparative statics analysis of the three main instruments of the CAP. Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.

The Use of Land for Roadways in a Growing Mills-de Ferranti Urban Area

This paper examines the socially optimal allocation of land to roadways in a growing urban area, assuming that roadway sections, once in place, cannot be widened subsequently. Roadways are used by workers who commute to a central business district. As the urban area expands due to population growth, existing roadway sections become congested. At each time, a government planner chooses the fraction of land to allocate to roadways at the current boundary of the urban area, taking into consideration the levels of traffic anticipated in the future, in order to minimize the present discounted value of costs, including commuting costs and the agricultural opportunity costs of urban land. An explicit solution is possible if the population of the urban area grows linearly over time.