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Multifunctionality, Agricultural Policy, and Environmental Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

David Abler
David Abler*
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Penn State University
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Abstract

In addition to supplying food and fiber, agriculture is a source of public goods and externalities. This article addresses two questions. First, do price and income support policies promote a multifunctional agriculture in an effective manner? Second, would policies targeted more directly at multifunctional attributes be more efficient than price and income support policies? The answer to the first question is no, at least for policies targeted at outputs (price supports, export subsidies, etc.). Public goods are not directly linked to production, but rather to land use and agricultural structures. Evidence in response to the second question is sketchier with respect to policies targeted at land.

Keywords

agricultural policyenvironmentjointnesslandscape amenitiesmultifunctionalitytradetransaction costs
Type
Invited Papers
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , April 2004 , pp. 8 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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