Valuation methods and methodological approaches for evaluating the impacts of natural resource management technologies

摘要

As a response to increasing degradation of natural resources (soil, water and biodiversity) and concerns about sustainability of the agricultural production potentials in many poor regions of the world, national and international organizations haveinitiated research programs targeted at developing methods and technologies to conserve or enhance the natural resource base. These technologies are expected to have impacts resulting in poverty reduction and improving the quality of the resource base. Methodological difficulties for impact assessment are rooted in several unique features of natural resource management (NRM) technologies. Unlike germplasm technologies where the required trait is embodied directly within the improved seeds, the impact ofthe NRM technology occurs only indirectly, through the economic and environmental goods and services that generate direct and indirect benefits to humans and other living organisms. These benefits are often multi-dimensional in the sense that they include economic, environmental and social gains to society across different scales. External benefits often accrue to agents who may not be willing to pay for the goods and services consumed.