CANRP Research Briefs
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/14193
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Item Does Low-density Zoning Impact Rural Land Value?(CANRP, 2012-09-28) Lynch, Lori; Liu, XiangpingDo zoning regulations rob rural landowners’ equity – i.e. decreasing their land values without compensation? Do these land use controls affect different types of land in the same way or in different ways? How far-reaching is the effect? Dr. Lori Lynch at the University of Maryland takes a look at several down-zoning counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to find out.Item Do Agricultural Land Preservation Programs Reduce Overall Farmland Loss?(CANRP, 2012-07-20) Lynch, Lori; Liu, XiangpingWhen purchase of development rights (PDR) programs are in place to prevent farmland from being developed into commercial or residential property, you would expect that less farmland would be converted. But are these programs actually working? Dr. Lori Lynch at the University of Maryland finds out.Item Who Participates in the Voluntary Cleanup Program: Lessons from Baltimore City(CANRP, 2012-06-22) Alberini, Anna; Guignet, DennisIf the sheer size of land endowment is an indicator of an economy’s potential, then the United States is fortunate indeed. However, there exist land tracts, in urban and rural areas, which are left unused due to concerns about the presence of potential contamination. The technical jargon for industrial sites which have suffered this fate is ‘brownfield’; it makes a lot of sense to clean up these brownfields and reuse them for industry or other productive activities. However, the liability regime imposed by federal and state hazardous waste programs in the US may actually discourage the purchase and reuse of contaminated or potentially contaminated sites. Recently, policymakers have come up with a plethora of programs to offer incentives for cleanup and reuse of brownfields. Dr. Anna Alberini and graduate student Dennis Guignet examined one such program, the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), and analyze the features of the sites which use this program (and the sites which are eligible but do not use it). Additionally, they also look into the redevelopment potential of the above mentioned VCP parcels.Item Making Grassroot Agricultural Auctions Work(CANRP, 2012-06-08) Tubene, Stephan; Hanson, JimLarge retailers often prefer to buy produce from large farms, leaving the owners of smaller farms in search of alternative markets. Drs. Stephan Tubene and Jim Hanson of the University of Maryland took a close look at the ways in which Pennsylvania farmers have been using wholesale produce auctions to sustain and increase their local markets.Item The Hidden Cost of Cheap Food(CANRP, 2012-05-11) Hoffmann, VivianMost residents of developed countries have ready access to food that is fortified with nutrients and free of contamination. For people in developing countries, that is not the case. Many people lack resources for defining a healthy diet or learning about its benefits; finding and purchasing healthy food can be an enormous task in itself. Dr. Vivian Hoffmann of the University of Maryland looks at the impacts of poor nutrition in developing countries and emphasizes the need for education and outreach.Item Physician, Professionalize Thyself(CANRP, 2012-04-27) Leonard, Kenneth; Masatu, MelkioryCost effective and sustainable methods to improve health care quality can result in significant improvements in the health of poor people in developing countries. Dr. Kenneth Leonard of the University of Maryland suggests that one overlooked strategy is to reawaken or reinvigorate the professionalism of health care workers.Item Simulated Trading for Maryland’s Nitrogen Loadings in the Chesapeake Bay: A Policy Overlook(CANRP, 2012-04-13) Hanson, Jim; McConnell, TedJim Hanson and Ted McConnell looked at whether decreasing nutrients into the Bay could cost less if trading is permitted. Rather than having the sewage treatment plants install new technology (high cost), these sewage plants could pay farmers to plant more cover crops (low cost) to meet the nitrogen loading goals.Item Does it Matter Who Writes Your Nutrient Management Plan?(CANRP, 2012-03-02) Lichtenberg, Erik; Parker, Doug; Lawley, ChadDr. Erik Lichtenberg and Dr. Doug Parker of the University of Maryland, along with Dr. Chad Lawley of the University of Manitoba, studied the content of nutrient management plans written before they were required by law to see if that content varied according to the type of provider.Item United States Farm Subsidies: A Question of Equity and Efficiency(CANRP, 2012-02-03) Kirwan, BarrettAre United States farm subsidies fair? Should they and can they be made more fair? Do farm subsidies even impact their intended targets? Dr. Barrett Kirwan at the University of Maryland takes a closer look.Item The Challenging Future Of Maryland Dairy Farms(CANRP, 2012-01-20) Leathers, Howard; Johnson, DaleMaryland dairy farmers face many challenges that put the future of their operations in question. University of Maryland researchers Howard Leathers and Dale Johnson examine the factors behind the problem and point to critical steps that both farmers and government leaders can take to stem or reverse the decline of dairy farms in Maryland.Item Seafood Safety Regulations: Do They Make Our Food Safer?(CANRP, 2012-01-06) Alberini, Anna; Lichtenberg, ErikHow do new federal guidelines for food safety affect the behavior of seafood processors? How well are they working? Could they be improved? Dr. Anna Alberini and Dr. Erik Lichtenberg at the University of Maryland take a closer look.Item Water Quality Credit Trading(CANRP, 2011-12-16) Parker, DougCan aggressive pollution reduction in one sector compensate for continued pollution in another? Pollution credit markets are designed to make this trade-off work. But is the time ripe for water quality credit trading systems to serve as an effective means of reducing pollution from farmland? Dr. Doug Parker of the University of Maryland is skeptical.Item What is the most effective way to deliver life-saving anti-malarial bed nets in the developing world?(CANRP, 2011-11-22) Hoffmann, VivianDoes free distribution to vulnerable households do more harm than good, or is it a critical component of an overall strategy? Dr. Vivian Hoffmann at the University of Maryland examines this issue and comes to a surprising conclusion.Item PDR programs affect landowners’ conversion decision in Maryland(CANRP, 2012-10-31) Towe, Charles; Bockstael, Nancy; Nickerson, Cynthia J.PDR programs pay farmers to give up their right to convert their farmland to residential and other non-farm uses. Does having the option to enroll in such a program affect the a landowner’s conversion decision? Does it encourage land conversion or delay it? And if a farmer does enroll in a PDR program, will the decisions of neighboring landowners be affected? Dr. Towe at the University of Maryland finds out.Item Does Low-density Zoning Impact Rural Land Value?(CANRP, 2012-09-28) Lynch, Lori; Xiangping, LiuDo zoning regulations rob rural landowners’ equity – i.e. decreasing their land values without compensation? Do these land use controls affect different types of land in the same way or in different ways? How far-reaching is the effect? Dr. Lori Lynch at the University of Maryland takes a look at several down-zoning counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to find out.Item From Ohio to Chesapeake(CANRP, 2012-08-31) Newburn, David A.What can be learned from one of the most successful water quality trading program to date? Do auctions result in cost effective changes? How do the institutional arrangements affect farmer participation and program results? Dr. David Newburn at the University of Maryland takes a look at Ohio’s Great Miami Trading Program to get answers and draw implications for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.