Mathematical Programming Models for Agriculture, Environmental, and Resource Economics provides a comprehensive overview of mathematical programming models and their applications to real world and important problems confronting agricultural, environmental, and resource economists. Unlike most mathematical programming books, the principal focus of this text is on applications of these techniques and models to the fields of agricultural, environmental, and resource economics. The three fundamental goals of the book are to provide the reader with: (1) a level of background sufficient to apply mathematical programming techniques to real world policy and business to conduct solid research and analysis, (2) a variety of applications of mathematical programming to important problems in the areas of agricultural, environmental, and resource economics, and (3) a firm foundation for preparation to more advanced, Ph.D. level books on linear and/or nonlinear programming. Despite its introductory nature, the text places significant emphasis on real world applications of mathematical programming to decision problems. A wide array of examples and case studies are used to convey the various programming techniques available to decision analysts.

Here is the first systematic handbook treatment of quantitative modeling natural resource problems, their allocated efficient use, and societal and economic impact. Andrés Weintraub is the very top person in Natural Resource research. He has selected co-editors who are at the top of the sub-fields in natural resources: agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mining. The book covers these areas with contributions from researchers on, among others, modeling natural research problems, quantifying data, and developing algorithms.

In the last 25 years, the fuzzy set theory has been applied in many disciplines such as operations research, management science, control theory,artificial intelligence/expert system, etc. In this volume, methods and applications of fuzzy mathematical programming and possibilistic mathematical programming are first systematically and thoroughly reviewed and classified. This state-of-the-art survey provides readers with a capsule look into the existing methods, and their characteristics and applicability to analysis of fuzzy and possibilistic programming problems. To realize practical fuzzy modelling, we present solutions for real-world problems including production/manufacturing, transportation, assignment, game, environmental management, resource allocation, project investment, banking/finance, and agricultural economics. To improve flexibility and robustness of fuzzy mathematical programming techniques, we also present our expert decision-making support system IFLP which considers and solves all possibilities of a specific domain of (fuzzy) linear programming problems. Basic fuzzy set theories, membership functions, fuzzy decisions, operators and fuzzy arithmetic are introduced with simple numerical examples in aneasy-to-read and easy-to-follow manner. An updated bibliographical listing of 60 books, monographs or conference proceedings, and about 300 selected papers, reports or theses is presented in the end of this study.

This book assesses recent developments in the analysis of agricultural policy and water resource management, and highlights the utility and theoretical rigor of quantitative methods for modeling agricultural production, market dynamics, and natural resource management. In diverse case studies of the intersection between agriculture, environmental quality and natural resource sustainability, the authors analyze economic behavior - both at aggregate as well as at individual agent-level - in order to highlight the practical implications for decision-markers dealing with environmental and agricultural policy. The volume also addresses the challenges of doing robust analysis with limited data, and discusses the appropriate empirical approaches that can be employed. The studies in this book were inspired by the work of Richard E. Howitt, Emeritus Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of California at Davis, USA, whose career has focused on the application of robust empirical methods to address concrete policy problems.

In recent years, development policy has responded to an increasing concern about natural resource degradation by setting up innovative payment for environmental services (PES) programs in developing countries. PES programs use market and institutional incentives in order to meet both environmental and poverty alleviation objectives. However, their optimal design, implications for the rural poor, and how these initiatives integrate into international treaties on global warming and biodiversity loss are still being discussed. This book addresses these issues by scrutinizing analytical tools, providing policy insights and stimulating debate on linkages between poverty alleviation and environmental protection. In particular, it turns attention towards the role of environmental services in agricultural landscapes as they provide a living for many poor in developing countries. It serves as a valuable reference for academics and students in various disciplines, as well as for policy makers and advisors. This book is a co-publication between Springer and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Ulrich Koester researches and teaches at the Institute for Agricultural Economics at the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. He has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry for over 20 years. Moreover, he gained experience working with the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C. and with numerous international organizations, including the World Bank, FAO, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Auditors. His teaching experience is based on courses taught at more than ten universities in general economics and agricultural economics. Part I of the book lays the theoretical foundations for understanding price formation in product and factor markets. In addition to neoclassical theory, institutional economics is of particular importance. Part II presents and evaluates agricultural policy with special reference to the EU, whereby the evaluation framework goes beyond the usual welfare theory analysis. The book is also a valuable aid for students of economic policy, especially because of its detailed evaluation of individual agricultural market policy instruments. The book is aimed at students at universities, technical colleges as well as politicians interested in rational agricultural policy making.

Stay a step ahead of the global competition in food and fiber production, processing, and sales! Multinational Agribusinesses is an essential guide to the inner workings of companies with direct investments in the food and fiber system in the United States and the world. The book provides in-depth and up-to-date analysis of the crucial issues facing multinational enterprises involved in input and output supply activities, commodity investment, food manufacturing, and food distribution. An international panel of academics and researchers working in economics and agriculture presents strategic management and economic analysis of agribusinesses representing a variety of sizes and nationalities. Multinational Agribusinesses examines the key areas of concern to multinationals involved with food and drink processing and/or upstream industries, including recent trends, growth factors, innovations, product and geographic diversification, and intra-firm trade. The book presents updated statistics (total sales, agrifood sales, net income, employment figures, number of total businesses on overseas and home markets) on the world’s 100 largest food multinationals, and updated tables on sell-offs, divestitures, and plant closures. Multinational Agribusinesses looks at enterprises in the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Brazil, including Ajinomoto®, Coca-Cola®, Nestlé®, Ralston Purina®, Unilever®, Barilla®, and the Charoen Pokphan Group®. Multinational Agribusinesses provides managers with answers to the questions they consider every day, including: Why do some multinational agribusinesses grow faster than others? Is product or geographic diversification conducive to good performance? Are Japanese food multinationals a challenge to my business? What industrial and geographical strategies are my competitors using? Government officials in countries hosting multinationals can find answers to their questions, including: Is my food multinational taking its research and development facilities abroad? Will foreign direct investment outflows reduce my country’s export of food? Are multinational agribusinesses from new source countries viable? And Multinational Agribusinesses will supply academics with responses to theoretical inquiries, such as: Is the standard theory of the multinational enterprises applicable to food multinationals? What are the specificities of food multinationals compared to other multinationals? Multinational Agribusinesses is a unique resource for international business managers, officials from government or international organizations, and academics working in international business studies and agricultural economics.