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British Columbia (BC) introduced North America’s first carbon tax in 2008. An analysis of the impact of the BC carbon tax is of interest to various stakeholders in the jurisdiction where the tax was implemented. Other Canadian provinces and other countries contemplating a carbon tax policy are looking for insights on how to optimize potential positive and negative consequences. Given that government agri-environmental policies often emphasize farm-level support and environmental performance, there is interest in understanding the farm-level impacts of the carbon tax. The effect of the BC carbon tax on farm income and related production cost variables is investigated. Panel data from 2000 to 2015 are analyzed using both tabular and econometric approaches of the difference-in-difference method. The results indicate that the carbon tax is associated with a decline in net farm income-to-receipts ratios ranging between 8 and 12 cents per dollar of farm receipts. The analysis for costs-to-receipts ratios suggest that the carbon tax is directly related to higher commercial feed costs, farm labour costs, interest costs, and depreciation costs. Results of the regression analysis indicate that all the carbon tax effects are highly statistically significant. These findings can inform policy discussions about carbon tax effects on farmers.

This paper tests for the applicability of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis at the Canadian and provincial/territorial levels using greenhouse gas emissions as an indicator for environmental degradation. The hypothesis is tested using provincial and territorial panel data from 1990 to 2014. The results vary depending on the econometric estimation method. The pooled regression results are mixed, with the EKC hypothesis confirmed at the Canadian level and in half of the provinces and territories. However, the fixed-effects regression results confirm the EKC hypothesis at the Canadian level and in all provinces and territories. The results also highlight the significance of technological change and province/territory specific characteristics in determining the level of greenhouse gas emissions.

Computable general equilibrium (CGE) model analyses of economic impacts from climate change have often focused on individual impacted sectors such as forest. However, such an approach may not provide accurate economic impact estimates since climate change will affect multiple sectors simultaneously. Furthermore, imprecise aggregate economic impact estimates may result if one were to add together individual sector impact estimates. We used CGE models to compare economic impacts of individual, additive, and simultaneous climate-induced changes in Canadian and other regions' forest and agriculture sectors over the 2006–2051 period. We found negative additive impact biases in a majority of regions for five of our economic variables including GDP, income, imports, terms of trade, capital, and total output. Positive additive impact biases were found in a majority of regions for four economic variables including welfare, consumption, export, and labor. These findings emphasize the importance of considering impacted sectors simultaneously when using CGE models to evaluate the economic impacts of climate change.

We used a stochastic production function method together with a farm-level dataset covering 18 farms over a 23-year period to assess the role that soil and water conservation practices play in affecting the climate change impacts on potato yield in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Our analysis accounted for the yield effects of farm inputs, farm technologies, farm-specific factors, seasonal climatic variables, soil and water conservation practices, and a series of interaction terms between soil and water conservation practices and climatic variables. Regression results were used in combination with three climate change scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (A2, A1B, B1) and four general circulation model predictions over three 30-year time periods (2011–2040, 2041–2070, and 2071–2100) to estimate a range of potato yield projections over these time periods. Results show that accounting for soil and water conservation practices in climate–yield relationships increased the impacts of climate change on potato yield, with yield increases of up to 38 % by the 2071–2100 period. These findings provide evidence that adoption of soil and water conservation practices can help boost potato production in a changing Canadian climate.

We investigated the effects of soil and water conservation practices on mean and variance of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield across 267 fields in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada, from 1988 to 2010. A stochastic production function method was used to account for seven soil and water conservation practices in addition to farm inputs, potato varieties, technological change, site characteristics, and seasonal climate effects. Overall, soil and water conservation structures had mixed effects on potato yield. While spring tillage and terracing increased mean potato yield, grassed waterways, drainage, chisel plowing, and other practices had the opposite effect. Rock management did not impact mean potato yield. Most practices did not impact yield variance. While soil and water conservation practices can be effective farm management tools for maintaining soil fertility and enhancing potato yields, there are no one-size-fits-all prescriptions to enhance yield.

Fishing communities in developing countries are among the poorest communities. However, past studies have generally failed to investigate ways of reducing poverty among these communities. In order to address this research gap, this study proposes and investigates income diversification as a potential way out of poverty. In particular, the study analyzes the determinants of income diversification decisions among the fishing communities, with a focus on those living on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria. The results show that education level, access to credit and membership of associations are the key factors that explain income diversification behaviour among fish workers.

This paper examines the effect of weather on the distribution of yield and its subsequent impact on the acreage allocation decisions of crop farmers in Ontario. The mean and variance of yield are estimated for corn, soybeans, and winter wheat for eight counties in Ontario over a 26-year period. The predicted parameters of the yield distribution are then used along with expectations on the distribution of crop price to estimate area response functions. A principal contribution of the paper is the decomposition of the revenue impact on crop area allocation into separate average and variance contributions for both price and yield. This decomposition illustrates the importance of expected yield in the area allocation decisions. Crop yield is especially influenced by the length of the growing season and this has a significant impact on acreage allocations. This implies that crop area will be altered in response to expected changes in climate, even without shifts in crop prices. Le present article examine l'incidence des facteurs meteorologiques sur la distribution des rendements et leurs consequences sur les decisions des producteurs agricoles de l'Ontario concernant l'allocation des superficies cultivees. Nous avons estime la moyenne et la variance des rendements pour le mais, le soja et le ble d'automne cultives dans huit comtes ontariens au cours d'une periode de 26 ans. Les parametres predits de la distribution des rendements et l'esperance de la distribution du prix des cultures ont ete utilises pour estimer les fonctions de reponse par region. La decomposition de l'impact du revenu sur l'allocation des superficies cultivees en terme d'effets sur les moyennes et les variances des prix et des rendements constitue une importante contribution de l'article. Cette decomposition montre l'importance des rendements prevus dans les decisions d'allocation des superficies. Le rendement de culture est particulierement influence par la longueur de la saison de croissance qui a une incidence considerable sur l'allocation des superficies cultivees. Par consequent, les superficies cultivees seront influencees par les changements climatiques prevus, et ce, meme en l'absence de fluctuation du prix des cultures.

This paper examines the effects of climatic and non-climatic factors on the mean and variance of corn, soybean and winter wheat yield in southwestern Ontario, Canada over a period of 26 years. Average crop yields increase at a decreasing rate with the quantity of inputs used, and decrease with the area planted to the crop. Climate variables have a major impact on mean yield with the length of the growing season being the primary determinant across all three crops. Increases in the variability of temperature and precipitation decrease mean yield and increase its variance. Yield variance is poorly explained by both seasonal and monthly climate variable models. Projections of future climate change suggest that average crop yield will increase with warmer temperatures and a longer growing season which is only partially offset by forecast increases in the variability of temperature and rainfall. The projections would also depend on future technological developments, which have generated significant increases in yield over time despite changing annual weather conditions.

This paper analyzes and discusses the socio-economic characteristics of fish workers, with a focus on those based on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria. In particular, the paper considers the characteristics of fish workers in general and by type of fish work, beach location and income diversification strategy. Although, many characteristics of the fish workers were identified, six characteristics stood out: (1) 20% of the fish workers had secondary education, while 80% had primary or no formal education; (2) a fish worker had an average of seven dependents; (3) 98% of the fishers were males, while 83% of fish traders were females; (4) around 26% of fish workers had diversified their income; (5) 64% of the fish workers lived below the poverty line; and (6) fish workers who diversified income had lower incidence and depth of poverty. The results implied that income diversification is a potential way out of poverty among fish workers. Key words: Fish workers, socio-economic characteristics, poverty, income diversification.