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Changing Soil Degradation Trends in Senegal with Carbon Sequestration Payments: Author: Gray, Kara Michelle; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Economics; Abstract: In Sudo-Sahelian Africa, erosion and nutrient mining are prominent causes of soil degradation. In Senegal, harvesting grains and crop residue from the land impact heavily on soil carbon content, while the insufficient replacement of soil nutrients with fertilizers contributes to negative nutrient balances. Given the economic perspective of the rational farmer and the dynamic nature of crop and soil management issues, this thesis used a regional case study in the Groundnut Basin of Senegal to do the following: describe and assess economic incentives specific the to the case study region; model ...; Download File | View full details

Minimum-data analysis of ecosystem service supply with risk averse decision makers: Author: Smart, Francis Clayton; Date: 2009-08-15; Program: Applied Economics; Abstract: There is a need for models that produce results that are both timely and sufficiently accurate to be useful to policy makers. The minimum-data approach of Antle and Valdivia (2006) responds to this need by supplying a spatially explicit first order approximation that models ecosystem supply by producers. However, producers in developing nations often are observed to deviate from simple expected profit maximization. Risk is one possible explanation for this divergence. This study builds upon the minimum-data approach by allowing for risk averse producer preferences. The study presents a framewo...; Download File | View full details