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Chemical Use Reductions in Urban Fringe Agriculture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Adesoji O. Adelaja
Affiliation:
Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Department of Geography, and Department of Community, Agricultural, Recreational and Resource Studies
Kevin Sullivan
Affiliation:
Food Policy Institute at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey
Yohannes G. Hailu
Affiliation:
Land Policy Research at the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University in East Lansing
Ramu Govindasamy
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick

Abstract

Using an augmented profit function framework designed to account for externalities related to chemical use in agriculture, this paper explains the chemical use choices of farmers in an urban fringe farming environment. It further estimates empirical logit models of reduced insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, and fertilizer usage. Results suggest that farmers who perceive their regulatory environment to be strict, who have experienced right-to-farm conflicts, and who have farms larger in size are more likely to reduce their chemical use over time, vis-à-vis other farmers. The results also suggest the importance of other farm structural and business climate factors in determining chemical use reduction choices.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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