I used on-site interviews and angler counts to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest rates, and total catch and total harvest. On the Smith River, angling pressure per km was most intense in the special management area, with most use occurring on weekend days. Anglers harvested approximately 90% of the rainbow trout they caught, and 63% of the rainbow trout stocked during the study period. Anglers harvested only 5% of the brown trout they caught. Philpott Reservoir was overwhelmingly a nonconsumptive black bass fishery (anglers harvested only 9% of the black bass they caught). I also estimated net economic value of both fisheries using the travel cost method (TCM) and contingent valuation method (CVM). In addition to estimating net economic value for the fisheries under current fishing conditions, I also explored changes in economic value under different fishing scenarios and alternative flow regimes. On the Smith River, doubling an angler's chance of catching a large trout (> 16 in.) had the highest net economic value of any scenario in all three river sections. The wild trout scenario had the highest net economic value in the special management area. On Philpott Reservoir, doubling an angler's chance of catching a black bass had the highest net economic value. Total economic value (including angler expenditures) of both fisheries was $656,140, only $13,000 less than the value of power produced at Philpott Dam during Fiscal Year 1995. / Master of Science

No description available.

<p>The so called "Labour Surplus" economies represent a subset of the less developed countries of the world that have failed to overcome the Malthusian barrier of a population explosion. The economic and demographic history of this group of countries seems to indicate that in the peculiar circumstances of these countries, the traditional "GNP maximization" approach to development cannot spontaneously generate a socially acceptable rate of growth of employment. The concern, in this thesis ,. toward the allocative consequences of an "employment maximizing" development strategy arose from the massive backlog of unemployed human resources in one such labour-surplus economy, namely Bangladesh. The static and dynamic consequences £0+ resource allocation of an employment maximizing development policy are studied within the framework of a dynamic, multisectoral, linear programming planning model.</p> <p>Since an employment-oriented development strategy is likely to lower the overall growth of the economy, implying a possible conflict between employment and other social goals, a major part of the effort in this thesis is devoted to the study of the optimal patterns of allocation under alternative social goals and under alternative forms of~ecification of these goals. The conflict between the employment and the consumption objectives are explicitly brought out by using the model to generate possible trade-off paths between . these two long-run development goals. The model is also used to study the production and distributional consequences of alternative assumptions regarding labour market distortions that are reflected in wide wage-differentials between the agricultural and the non-agricultural sectors of the economy.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The greenhouses play a key role in food sustainable production, the purpose of the greenhouses is to make an artificial suitable environment to grow different kinds of plants. The cost of energy used in the greenhouses to ensure the optimum temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, makes up a large part of the final cost of food. Due to global warming, the successive energy crises, and the food crises, the need to make the greenhouses more energy efficient and to utilize renewable energy resources is rapidly increasing. The enclosed water curtain cooling system meets the special requirement of the greenhouse cooling system, and it has potential energy savings when it is integrated with other systems such as heat pumps, underground water sources, and surplus heat energy recovery. This system involves two special nylon foils, and a thin layer of water flows between the two foils, the two foils will be stuck to eachother by the cohesive force of the water-detergent mixture, the detergent was added to decrease the water surface tension and ensure the even distribution of the water-detergent mixture over the nylon foils. In this study, an experimental model of the enclosed water curtain was made and two sets of tests were conducted, the first set was at room temperature around 20°C, and the second test was at room temperature around 25.7 °C with an electrical heater, each set contains three tests to measure the cooling capacity of the curtain, and each test takes 2 minutes, the curtain dimensions were height and width of 1.04 m and 1.20 m respectively. By measuring the difference between the average inlet and outlet temperature of the water-detergent mixture before and after the curtain, and the mixture mass flow rate during the test period, the cooling capacityof the curtain was calculated using the energy balance equation.It was found that the curtain cooling capacity increases with the increase of ambient temperature, The large heat transfer area of the curtain which allows using higher water temperature for cooling, and the useful features of the water membrane like the high absorption of the wavelength of infrared and the high transparency of the wavelength of visible light, make this system meets the special requirements of the greenhouses cooling system. However, to be able to apply this system in real-life, the design of the curtain should be improved, and suitable materials should be chosen to make it more reliable. Also, All tests in this study were conducted in the workshop in the absence of solar radiation, therefore, the actual performance of the curtain needs to be evaluated with the presence of solar radiation, to be able to study the effects of the direct and diffuse solar radiation with various spectrum range.

This dissertation consists of three essays on Hedonic price method which is widely used in non-market good evaluation. The first chapter outlines three topics involved and briefly discusses the motivations and methods, as well we some conclusions in each of the following chapters. Chapter 2 uses a conventional first stage hedonic price method to estimate the effect of an aquatic invasive species (Eurasian watermilfoil) on lakefront property values at selected Vermont lakes. Results indicate that as the primary component of total aquatic macrophyte growth in a lake Eurasian watermilfoil significantly and substantially affects lakefront property values. As Eurasian watermilfoil infests a lake, adding to the total macrophyte growth, property values can diminish by <1% to 16% for incremental increases in the infestation level. Hence, policies that successfully prevent infestations have significant economic benefits to owners of lakefront properties and local communities. Chapter 3 focused on a previously unexplored potential impact of 9/11—the impact it may have had on housing prices near mosques. Using a unique dataset that combines the locations of functioning mosques with housing transactions near the time of 9/11, combined with a generalized difference-in-differences framework, we find that housing prices decreased by approximately 7% ($10,559 for the average home) in areas near mosques along the east coast of the U.S. on average in the two years following the attacks. However, on the west coast we find no evidence that 9/11 caused a systematic decrease in housing prices near mosques. Chapter 4 begins from a conventional model of hedonic equilibrium where a nonmarket amenity is conveyed as an attribute of a differentiated traded good. Different metropolitan areas may have different equilibrium price functions due to geographic variation in consumer preferences, income, and production costs. We demonstrate that under relatively mild restrictions on the geographic extent of taste-based sorting, indicator variables for metro areas define "imperfect instruments" that can be used to identify bounds on demand curves. Bounds on demand curves correspond to ranges of partial equilibrium welfare measures for non-marginal changes in environmental quality. We find these ranges to be informative in a preliminary application to evaluating the benefits of reducing cultural eutrophication of lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The last chapter concludes and discusses the insights for future research. / Ph. D.

This study investigated the performance of the three estimators of surplus production model including process-observation-error-estimator with normal distribution (POE_N), observation-error-estimator with normal distribution (OE_N), and process-error-estimator with normal distribution (PE_N). The estimators with fat-tailed distributions including Student's t distribution and Cauchy distribution were also proposed and their performances were compared with the estimators with normal distribution. This study used Bayesian method, revised Metropolis Hastings within Gibbs sampling algorithm (MHGS) that was previously used to solve POE_N (Millar and Meyer, 2000), developed the MHGS for the other estimators, and developed the methodologies which enabled all the estimators to deal with data containing multiple indices based on catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE). Simulation study was conducted based on parameter estimation from two example fisheries: the Atlantic weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) and the black sea bass (Centropristis striata) southern stock. Our results indicated that POE_N is the estimator with best performance among all six estimators with regard to both accuracy and precision for most of the cases. POE_N is also the robust estimator to outliers, atypical values, and autocorrelated errors. OE_N is the second best estimator. PE_N is often imprecise. Estimators with fat-tailed distribution usually result in some estimates more biased than estimators with normal distribution. The performance of POE_N and OE_N can be improved by fitting multiple indices. Our study suggested that POE_N be used for population dynamic models in future stock assessment. Multiple indices from valid surveys should be incorporated into stock assessment models. OE_N can be considered when multiple indices are available. / Master of Science

Research and development of Bt rice in Southeast Asia has been overshadowed by the contentious debate over the potential release of transgenic food crops into the region. The study provides empirical evidence on the potential size and distribution of economic benefits of adopting Bt Indica rice in the Philippines and Vietnam through the years 2000 to 2020. Total welfare gains from Bt rice are projected at 618.8 million USD (discounted at 5 percent) and aggregate benefits by region are projected at 269.6 million USD for the Philippines, 329.1 million USD for Vietnam, and 20.1 million USD for the rest of the world. Simulation results indicate that producers in both countries will capture 66.5 percent of the total welfare effect from Bt rice adoption, 25.9 percent will accrue to consumers, 3 percent to the rest of the world, and the loss in Philippine government revenue accounts for 4.6 percent of the total welfare effect. The study also reports how other factors will determine the size and distribution of economic benefits of Bt rice. <i>Vita removed, Sept. 13, 2012, Gmc</i> / Master of Science

Peanut production has been decreasing in Senegal over the past decades for historical, political, economic and environmental reasons. One of the solutions proposed by recent Senegalese administrations is to increase production through agricultural research and the development of peanut varieties that are adapted to the environmental constraints in Senegal. The last variety developed is La Fleur 11, which is very drought tolerant. The purpose of the study is to assess the economic impact of research on La Fleur 11 on the Senegalese economy through an ex-ante evaluation of the net social benefits from the adoption of this new variety. In order to fulfill this objective, an economic surplus analysis is conducted within the framework of a partial equilibrium model. Results indicate that the net social benefits from the adoption of La Fleur 11 are positive. Assuming that all peanut supply is sold to SONACOS at a producer base price and that research evaluation is conducted at the farm-level, Consumers (SONACOS) are the main beneficiaries from research. Their benefits are on average 6 times producers' (farmers). The research-induced increase in the government cost of the subsidy represents 84 percent on average of consumers' and producers' benefits; the research-induced increase in net social welfare represents 16 percent on average of consumers' and producers' benefits. The internal rate of return averages around 43 percent. When peanut markets are disaggregated, research benefits consumers (SONACOS) 3 times more than producers (farmers) at the farm level. Most of producers' benefits come from farm household consumption (47 percent of total farm-level benefits) and most of consumers' benefits come from the official seed market. At the SONACOS-level where peanut oil and cakes are exported, research benefits producers (SONACOS) only; consumers (rest of the world) do not benefit from research at this level. The IRR is more likely to be about 42 percent. This study suggests that future investments in agricultural research in Senegal can result in a positive economic impact provided that other actions are undertaken regarding extension, credit, and input distribution in order to enhance adoption and take advantage of the yield potential of the new peanut varieties. Also, this study provides a procedure of research evaluation for future use in Senegal and West Africa. / Master of Science

Farmers around the world rely on IPM practices in order to increase their yields and reduce their losses due to pests. Assessing the impacts of previous IPM CRSP studies is crucial for successful continuance of the program and to provide meaningful recommendations to farmers. This thesis summarizes previous IPM CRSP impact studies, and provides additional impact assessments of IPM practices developed on the program. Scientist-questionnaires were sent to scientists in each IPM CRSP site around the world. Using the data from the questionnaire responses in combination with additional secondary information on elasticities, prices and quantities, economic surplus analyses were conducted. The tomato IPM program in Albania, the plantain IPM program in Ecuador, and the tomato IPM program in Uganda resulted in net present values of approximately $8 million, $7 million and $1 million, respectively. Sensitivity analyses for each case were also conducted, and net benefits ranged from $5 to 23 million in Albania, from $4 to 7 million in Ecuador, and from $0.03 to 3 million in Uganda. Additionally, an ordered probit analysis was conducted to determine the factors affecting adoption of IPM technologies in Bangladesh. The level of education, being a female, IPM training and awareness of pesticide alternatives were found to have positive and statistically significant impact on the adoption of IPM technologies in Bangladesh. / Master of Science

L'objectif général de cette recherche est de nous éclairer sur l'évolution des rapports économiques entre l'agriculture québécoise et le reste de l'économie, pour les décennies 60 et 70. Il s'agit essentiellement de décrire les changements survenus dans l'évolution du surplus économique de l'agriculture québécoise et de son partage dans l'agro-économie, suite à la rupture constatée dans l'évolution des économies occidentales du début des années 70. Le modèle utilise est celui du surplus économique de H.R. Wagstaff. Il est, en quelque sorte, une simplification des comptes de surplus. Le surplus économique s'y définit comme étant la différence entre la variation du produit réel et la variation du revenu réel, de l'agriculture. On a pu constater que la rupture du début des années 70 s'est manifestée au niveau des transferts de surplus dans l'agro-économie québécoise. Les transferts de surplus vers l'agriculture ont doublé d'une décennie à l'autre. Cet accroissement résulte d'une augmentation des transferts des acheteurs de produits agricoles, supérieure à la perte subie en amont et au ralentissement des transferts de l'État. Le surplus transfère s'est reparti inégalement entre les diverses productions et l'État pour l'aval et les consommations intermédiaires pour l'amont. Durant les années 60, la production laitière a été la seule parmi les principales productions, ou les transferts de l'aval vers l'agriculture étaient positifs. A la décennie 70, un changement s'est produit pour l'ensemble des productions agricoles. Les transferts vers l'agriculture dans la production laitière ont diminué. Pour la production du bétail et de la volaille, ces transferts se sont faits vers l'agriculture alors que l'on avait l'inversé pour les années 60.D'autre part, notons que d'importantes fluctuations dans les transferts ont caractérisé les années 70. Ces fluctuations ont été beaucoup plus importantes pour les productions qui ont évolué sur un marché libre que pour celles régies par un plan conjoint de mise en marché. Ainsi les premières semblent affectées beaucoup plus fortement par les phénomènes conjoncturels que les secondes. Par contre, en examinant les transferts de surplus en référence à l'année de base (1962), on a remarqué que l'évolution des transferts de surplus était différente non seulement entre les productions qui ont évolué sur un marché libre et les productions régies par un plan conjoint de mise en marche, mais aussi entre ces dernières. Ainsi, l'organisation de mise en marche des produits agricoles ne semble pas avoir été l'élément le plus déterminant de la quantité de surplus transférés en aval durant cette période. Les transferts de surplus en amont ont été détermines en grande partie par la consommation intermédiaire "alimentations animales". Dans le cadre des variations annuelles on a pu même établir, pour les années 70, une correspondance entre l'évolution des transferts en amont et celle des transferts en aval pour l'ensemble de l'agriculture. Soulignons que si l'augmentation du prix des céréales et des engrais a affecté sérieusement les transferts en aval, elle n'a pas été l'élément déterminant de l'évolution à long terme de ces transferts, étant donne l'évolution différente des transferts de surplus en référence à l'année de base pour chacune des productions agricoles. On peut tout au plus affirmer que dans l'ensemble, l'agriculture québécoise a pu retransmettre en aval les pertes subies en amont.