There is currently great concern throughout the world about the environmental problems associated with modern agricultural practices, particularly soil erosion, the side effects of pollution through excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, and conservation of wildlife habitats, amenity landscapes and public recreational areas. Until recently however there has been little analysis of these unpriced side-effects, or (in economists' terms) "externalities" and the related concept of public goods. This book brings together economic analyses of these external costs and benefits of agriculture and land use. It is written by authors from the UK, USA and continental Europe and should be of interest to agricultural and environmental economists and scientists.
Changing nature of rural land use; the economics of non-point pollution control from agriculture; pesticide regulation in Denmark; soil erosion and conservation policies in the USA; economics of nitrate pollution control in the UK; animal waste problems in the Netherlands; atrazine pollution and Chesapeake fisheries; nitrate pollution and fisheries protection in Sweden; the provision of public goods - how should it be arranged?; economic analysis of management agreements; land purchase as a means of ensuring the provision of public goods; land diversion programmes as generators of public goods; measuring environmental amenity benefits of agricultural land; agriculture and the environment - the way ahead?.