[Paper Review] Alternative Agriculture Land-Use Transformation Pathways by Partial-Equilibrium Agricultural Sector Model: A Mathematical Approach

Malvika Kanojia, Prerna Kamani+4 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Aug 12, 2023

Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact9 citations

TL;DR

The paper uses a Partial-Equilibrium Agricultural Sector Model to explore land-use transformation pathways under externalities taxes, assessing their impacts on emissions, biodiversity, water use, and phosphorus pollution through crop management and management-change scenarios.

ABSTRACT

Humanity's progress in combating hunger, poverty, and child mortality is marred by escalating environmental degradation due to rising greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts. Despite positive developments, ecosystems are suffering globally. Regional strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change must be viewed from a global perspective. The 2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals reflect the challenge of balancing social and environmental aspects for sustainable development. Agriculture, vital for food production, also threatens Earth systems. A study examines the interplay of land-use impacts, modeling crop and livestock trade, and their effects on climate, biodiversity, water, and land using a Partial-Equilibrium Agricultural Sector Model. Different scenarios involving taxing externalities related to Earth processes were tested. Results show synergies in reducing emissions, biodiversity loss, water use, and phosphorus pollution, driven by shifts in crop management. Nitrogen application and deforestation scenarios exhibit weaker synergies and more conflicts. The study offers insights into SDG interactions and the potential for sustainable farming.

Motivation & Objective

• Address the global challenge of sustainable agriculture by evaluating land-use decisions in the context of SDGs.
• Model interactions between crop and livestock trade and environmental outcomes (emissions, biodiversity, water, phosphorus).
• Assess how taxing externalities and changes in crop management influence environmental metrics and trade-offs.
• Inform policy design for sustainable farming under climate and ecological constraints.

Proposed method

• Employ a Partial-Equilibrium Agricultural Sector Model to simulate land-use and trade dynamics.
• Test scenarios involving taxes on Earth-system externalities.
• Analyze environmental outcomes including emissions, biodiversity loss, water use, and phosphorus pollution.
• Evaluate the role of shifts in crop management in driving environmental synergies.
• Compare scenarios with nitrogen application changes and deforestation to assess relative synergy strength.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How do land-use transformations under a partial-equilibrium framework affect emissions, biodiversity, water use, and phosphorus pollution?
• RQ2 What environmental synergies arise when applying taxes on Earth-system externalities in agricultural land-use choices?
• RQ3 Which crop-management shifts maximize reductions in environmental pressures, and where do trade-offs or conflicts emerge (e.g., nitrogen application, deforestation)?

Key findings

• There are synergies in reducing emissions, biodiversity loss, water use, and phosphorus pollution driven by shifts in crop management.
• Nitrogen application changes and deforestation scenarios exhibit weaker synergies and more conflicts.
• The study provides insights into SDG interactions and the potential for sustainable farming through policy and management changes.