The Economics of Beneficial Management Practices Adoption on Representative Alberta Crop Farms

• Author / Creator

  Trautman, Dawn E

• Monte Carlo simulation was used to examine the on-farm economics from adoption of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) on five representative Alberta cropping farms. Adoption of shelterbelts, buffer strips, residue management, and the addition of annual and perennial forages, field peas, and oats in crop rotations were included as BMPs that contribute positively to Ecological Goods and Service production from agriculture.
  Results suggest positive on-farm benefits associated with perennial forage and field pea BMPs. Conversely, BMPs that reduce availability of land for cropping activities, such as shelterbelts and buffer strips, and BMPs that do not increase revenues, such as oats and annual forages in rotation, are costly to producers. The results of this thesis have important policy implications. Policy mechanisms that incorporate positive mechanisms may improve adoption of BMPs that are costly to producers, while extension mechanisms, such as information programs, may improve the adoption of economically feasible BMPs.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs)
  • Residue management
  • Crop rotation
  • Monte Carlo simulation
  • Buffer strip
  • Shelterbelt

• Graduation date

  Spring 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3K729

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.