This work debates and investigates the cross-compliance system - whereby farmers comply with certain standards relating to the environment, food safety and animal and plant health. The book discusses cross-compliance in the context of existing standards, on-farm costs and the competitiveness of farm businesses. Analysing the economics of regulation both within the internal market of the EU and the broader world market by examining a broad range of agricultural products. This resource will be of value to agriculture and resource economists, policy makers, researchers and students in environment

This book presents the first thorough economic analysis of current agricultural biotechnology regulation. The contributors, most of whom are agricultural economists working either in universities or NGOs, address issues such as commercial pesticides, the costs of approving new products, liability, benefits, consumer acceptance, regulation and its impacts, transgenic crops, social welfare implications, and biosafety.

Agricultural Law in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cases and Comments introduces the subject of agricultural law and economics to researchers, practitioners, and students in common law countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and presents information from the legal system in Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The law and economics approach entails the use of quantitative methods in research. This is consistent with the expectations in an applied economics field such as agricultural economics. Covering the general traditional law topics in contracts, torts, and property, the book goes further to introduce cutting-edge and region-relevant topics, including contracts with illiterate parties, contract farming, climate change, and transboundary water issues. The book is supported by an extensive list of reference materials, as well as study and enrichment exercises, to deepen readers’ understanding of the principles discussed in the book. It is a learning tool, first and foremost, and can be used as a stand-alone resource to teach the subject matter of agricultural law and economics to professionals new to the subject area as well as to students in law school, agricultural economics, economics, and inter-disciplinary classes. Offers research findings on such topics as food safety, climate change, transboundary natural resources, international sale of goods, patents, and trademarks to highlight the future sources of pressure on the agriculture industry Uses case-studies to provide real-world insights into the challenges and considerations of appropriate agricultural law development Challenges readers to carry out their own research in their areas of study, and to gain some understanding of the relationship between law, economics, and statistics Includes extensive resources, such as chapter summaries, study questions, and challenge questions at the end of each chapter to assist instructors and students in gaining full benefits from using the book Provides separate instructor and student study guides, a test bank, and test bank answers, in hardcopy and electronic formats

Winner of the European Association of Agricultural Economists Book Award Food and agriculture have been subject to heavy-handed government interventions throughout much of history and across the globe, both in developing and in developed countries. Today, more than half a trillion US dollars are spent by some governments to support farmers, while other governments impose regulations and taxes that hurt farmers. Some policies, such as price regulations and tariffs, distribute income but reduce total welfare by introducing economic distortions. Other policies, such as public investments in research, food standards, or land reforms, may increase total welfare, but these policies come also with distributional effects. These distributional effects influence the preferences of interest groups and in turn influence policy decisions. Political considerations are therefore crucial to understand how agricultural and food policies are determined, to identify the constraints within which welfare-enhancing reforms are possible (or not), and finally to understand how coalitions can be created to stimulate growth and reduce poverty.

This work debates and investigates the the cross-compliance system: where farmers comply with certain standards relating to the environment, food safety and animal and plant health. It discusses cross-compliance in the context of existing standards, on-farm costs and the competitiveness of farm businesses. Analyzing the economics of regulation both within the internal market of the EU and the broader world market by examining a broad range of agricultural products, this resource will be of value to agriculture and resource economists, policy makers, researchers and students in environmental and agricultural policy and modelling.