Economic Viability of Smallholder Agroforestry and Beekeeping Projects in Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania: A Cost Benefit Analysis

Agroforestry and beekeeping are widely promoted as prospective Nature- Based Income Generating Activities (NIGAs) to improve livelihoods while at the same time enhancing biodiversity conservation in degrading agro-ecologies. These activities can diversify and increase famers’ incomes and support instinctive biota and fauna resilience. However, evidence to showcase and compare their long-term benefits is scant. We use the case of Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania to evaluate and compare viability of agroforestry and beekeeping projects using the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) approach. The results of analysis yielded positive NPVs for both agroforestry and beekeeping projects at discount rates not higher than 8.2% and 8.5% respectively. Overall, the comparison of economic viability between agroforestry and beekeeping projects revealed that the former was relatively more profitable than the later in terms of both the NPV and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) criteria. However, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for beekeeping was slightly higher than that of agroforestry. Yet, we underscore the fact that these two projects can jointly be implemented to enhance livelihoods of farmers and support biodiversity conservation in the study area and other parts with similar agro-ecologies in developing countries. However, farmers in these agro-ecologies need to be supported by governments and non-government development partners in terms of training and inspiration to shift from orthodox farming to sustainable NIGAs.

A New Criteria to Apply Weight-Dependent CATSthr to Cost-Benefit Analysis within the Framework of IMO EnvironmentaI-FSA Studies

The purpose of this paper is to investigate reasonable cost benefit criteria within the framework of environmental formal safety assessment （FSA）. In this study a statistical analysis of oil spill data was carried out based on the report of International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds. According to the statistical study of actual oil spill from tankers, it is found that collisions and groundings are the most probable causes of the oil spills from tankers. Probability distributions of costs of oil spill and oil spill amount are investigated, and a non-linear regression formula between costs of oil spills and oil spill weight are derived. Using the regression formula, an oil spill weight dependent CATStm （Cost of Averting a Ton of oil Spilt） is proposed. Moreover in order to apply the weight dependent CATSthr to cost benefit analysis （CBA）, a new cost-effective criterion is newly proposed with considering its concrete application to environmental FSA.

Constructed Model of Cost/Benefit Analysis Strategy for Stem Corn Borer Sesamia cretica

An integrated pest management model of Cost/Benefit analysis strategy was constructed for stem corn borer Sesamia cretica using complementary control measures of different resistant genotypes of corn with the chemical insecticide diazinon 60%. Based on Cost/Benefit analysis result, the resistant genotype （SAKHA 9433） provides maximum economic value of production at the model point where no spray of insecticide is applied. The applications of one or two sprays do not justify the use of chemical insecticide but rather result in economic loss since the reduction in borer damage value, due to diazinon use, is lower than the cost of control （spray）. However, the applications of one spray for the moderate resistant genotype （IPA 2052） and two sprays for the sensitive genotype （CML 323） during corn growing season would be of value to cover the cost of control （spray） but do not achieve similar economic value of revenue comparing with the resistant genotype.

GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

In 2012, genetically engineered （GE） crops were grown by 17.3 million farmers on over 170 million hectares. Over 70% of harvested GE biomass is fed to food producing animals, making them the major consumers of GE crops for the past 15 plus years. Prior to commercialization, GE crops go through an extensive regulatory evaluation. Over one hundred regulatory submissions have shown compositional equivalence, and comparable levels of safety, between GE crops and their conventional counterparts. One component of regulatory compliance is whole GE food/feed animal feeding studies. Both regulatory studies and independent peer-reviewed studies have shown that GE crops can be safely used in animal feed, and rDNA fragments have never been detected in products （e.g. milk, meat, eggs） derived from animals that consumed GE feed. Despite the fact that the scientific weight of evidence from these hundreds of studies have not revealed unique risks associated with GE feed, some groups are calling for more animal feeding studies, including long-term rodent studies and studies in target livestock species for the approval of GE crops. It is an opportune time to review the results of such studies as have been done to date to evaluate the value of the additional information obtained. Requiring long-term and target animal feeding studies would sharply increase regulatory compliance costs and prolong the regulatory process associated with the commercialization of GE crops. Such costs may impede the development of feed crops with enhanced nutritional characteristics and durability, particularly in the local varieties in small and poor developing countries. More generally it is time for regulatory evaluations to more explicitly consider both the reasonable and unique risks and benefits associated with the use of both GE plants and animals in agricultural systems, and weigh them against those associated with existing systems, and those of regulatory inaction. This would represent a shift away from a GE evaluation process that currently focuses only on risk assessment and identifying ever diminishing marginal hazards, to a regulatory approach that more objectively evaluates and communicates the likely impact of approving a new GE plant or animal on agricultural production systems.

An Integrated Approach to Evaluate Benefits and Costs of Wastewater and Solid Waste Management to Improve the Living Environment: The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia

Absence of wastewater and solid waste facilities impacts the quality of life of many people in developing countries. Implementation of these facilities will benefit public health, water quality, livelihoods and property value. Additional benefits may result from the potential recovery of valuable resources from wastewater and solid waste, such as compost, energy, phosphorus, plastics and paper. Improving water quality through implementation of wastewater and solid waste interventions requires, among others, an analysis of i) sources of pollution, ii) mitigating measures and resource recovery potentials and their effect on water quality and health, and iii) benefits and costs of interventions. We present an integrated approach to evaluate costs and benefits of domestic and industrial wastewater and solid waste interventions. To support a policy maker in formulating a cost and environmentally effective approach, we quantified the impact of these interventions on 1) water quality improvement, 2) resource recovery potential, and 3) monetized benefits versus costs. The integration of technical, hydrological, agronomical and socio-economic elements to derive these three tangible outputs in a joint approach is a novelty. The approach is demonstrated using the heavily polluted Indonesian Upper Citarum River in the Bandung region. Domestic interventions, applying simple (anaerobic filter) technologies, were economically most attractive with a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 3.2, but could not reach target water quality standards. To approach the target water quality, both advanced domestic (nutrient removal systems) and industrial wastewater treatment interventions were required, leading to a BCR of 2. We showed that benefits from selling recovered resources represent here an additional driver for improving water quality and outweigh the additional costs for resource recovery facilities. While included benefits captured some of the major items, these may have been undervalued. Based on these findings, water quality interventions justify their costs and are socially and economically beneficial.

Advanced Methods of Evaluating Benefits from Improved Flood Immunity in Queensland

The regular occurrence and the high costs of flooding to both road agencies and communities is a strong impetus to investigate the methodologies applied to evaluating flood immunity road projects. Very little literature exists on methods of evaluating the benefits of improving flood immunity through better road infrastructure. This paper attempts to address some of the numerous issues hindering the accurate evaluation of flood immunity road projects. The methodologies presented in this paper are designed to evaluate benefits that are not normally included or not fully considered in evaluations; such benefits include reduced flood related road accidents, costs of not travelling during the closure period and additional costs from unanticipated flood events. A key focus of the paper is the consideration of the evaluation of improved flood immunity from a network perspective rather than the typical approach of evaluating flood immunity projects in isolation to each other. The application of the proposed methodologies is demonstrated with a hypothetical example of a typical rural network subjected to regular flooding. The results of the analysis, conducted using the proposed methodologies, reveals that the currently applied methodologies account for less than half the likely value of benefits of a package of projects that will prevent the complete isolation of communities during serious flood events.

Planning of Cost Effective Water Harvesting in a Sub Basin of the Subarnarekha River in the State of West Bengal, India

Development and judicious management of available water resources play a key role for economic upliftment of any region. The agricultural pattern and social and demographic status in the upper basin of the Dulung Nala Stream （a tributary of the Subarnarekha River） in the western part of the State of West Bengal, India, reveals growing demand of water in the basin. The paper reports different management plans involving different types of water harvesting structures （and associated different types of water distribution systems） and different crop combinations and with benefit/cost ratios varying from 1.3 to 11.2 for the basin. The study points out that the judicious choice of both the water harvesting structure as well as the water distribution system is important. Proper planning of crop pattern is also to be emphasized for reaping maximum benefit. It further emphasizes that cost- benefit ratio cannot solely govern the choice of structure and that maximum utilization of catchmental water and thus enhancement of agricultural output （and also economic return from the catchment） i.e. quantum of benefit is also important. The water harvesting structures proposed in this study can be implemented in other semi-arid regions of India having almost the same climatic and socio-economic conditions.

Evaluating cost and benefit of air pollution control policies in China:A systematic review

China has put great efforts into air pollution control over the past years and recently committed to its most ambitious climate target.Cost and benefit analysis has been widely used to evaluate the control policies in terms of past performance,future reduction potential,and direct and indirect impacts.To understand the cost and benefit analysis for air pollution control in China,we conducted a bibliometric review of more than 100 studies published over the past two decades,including the current research progress,most commonly adopted methods,and core findings.The control target in cost and benefit analysis has shifted in three stages,from individual and primary pollution control,moving to joint prevention of multiple and secondary pollutants,and then towards synergistic control of air pollution and carbon.With the expansion of the research scope,the integrated assessment model has gradually demonstrated the necessity for long-term ex-anti policy simulation,especially for dealing with complex factors.To ensure long-term air quality,climate,public health,and sustainable economic development,substantial evidence from published studies has suggested that China needs to continue its efforts in the upstream adjustment of the energy system and industrial structure with multi-regional and-sector collaboration.This cost and benefit review paper provides decision-makers with the fundamental information and knowledge gaps in air pollution control strategies in China,and direction for facing future challenges.

Devising optimal integration test orders using cost-benefit analysis

Integration testing is an integral part of software testing.Prior studies have focused on reducing test cost in integration test order generation.However,there are no studies concerning the testing priorities of critical classes when generating integration test orders.Such priorities greatly affect testing efficiency.In this study,we propose an effective strategy that considers both test cost and efficiency when generating test orders.According to a series of dynamic execution scenarios,the software is mapped into a multi-layer dynamic execution network(MDEN)model.By analyzing the dynamic structural complexity,an evaluation scheme is proposed to quantify the class testing priority with the defined class risk index.Cost–benefit analysis is used to perform cycle-breaking operations,satisfying two principles:assigning higher priorities to higher-risk classes and minimizing the total complexity of test stubs.We also present a strategy to evaluate the effectiveness of integration test order algorithms by calculating the reduction of software risk during their testing process.Experiment results show that our approach performs better across software of different scales,in comparison with the existing algorithms that aim only to minimize test cost.Finally,we implement a tool,ITOsolution,to help practitioners automatically generate test orders.

Decision modelling for economic evaluation of liver transplantation

As the gap between a shortage of organs and the im-mense demand for liver grafts persists, every available donor liver needs to be optimized for utility, urgency and equity. To overcome this challenge, decision modelling might allow us to gather evidence from previous studies as well as compare the costs and consequences of alternative options. For public health policy and clinical intervention assessment, it is a potentially powerful tool. The most commonly used types of decision analytical models include decision trees, the Markov model, microsimulation, discrete event simulation and the system dynamic model. Analytic models could support decision makers in the field of liver transplantation when facing specifc problems by synthesizing evidence, comprising all relevant options, generalizing results to other contexts, extending the time horizon and exploring the uncertainty. For modeling studies of economic evaluation for transplantation, understanding the current nature of the disease is crucial, as well as the selection of appropriate modelling techniques. The quality and availability of data is another key element for the selection and development of decision analytical models. In addition, good practice guidelines should be complied, which is important for standardization and comparability between economic outputs.

Assessing the costs and benefits of improved land management practices in three watershed areas in Ethiopia

Unsustainable land use management and the resulting soil erosion are among the most pervasive problems in rural Ethiopia,where most of the country’s people live,jeopardizing food security.Despite various efforts to introduce soil conservation measures and assess their costs and benefits,it is unclear how efficient these measures are from an economic point of view in securing food production.This paper examines the costs and benefits of three soil conservation measures applied in the country in three different rural districts facing different degrees of soil erosion problems using survey data collected from 750 farm households.A production function is estimated to quantify the costs and benefits of more sustainable land use management practices.We show that the soil conservation measures significantly increase productivity and hence food security.Comparing the costs and benefits,the results indicate that implementing soil conservation measures would benefit farm communities in the case study areas through increased grain productivity and food security.

Integrating algae building technology in the built environment:A cost and benefit perspective

Energy consumption rates have been rising globally at an escalating pace since the last three decades.The exploration of new renewable and clean sources of energy globally is thus gaining prime importance.In Australia,coal is still the primary source of energy,which,during the process of energy production,generates greenhouse gases,subsequently resulting in environmental degradation.Within this context,the paper compares the economic and environmental benefits of utilizing two renewable energy production sources:algae building technology(ABT)and solar PV panels.A case study site for retrofitting a specified area on the front facade of a multi-storied building at the University of Technology Sydney,City Campus,Australia was thus chosen for the study.A cost and benefit analysis model using the following performance indicators;return on investment,payback period as well as net present value of the two systems,was thus initiated.Annual revenue generation of both systems which included tangible and intangible benefits of both systems were simultaneously calculated.The investment and operation and maintenance costs of both systems were calculated based on market research as well as quantitative data adapted from our literature review.Our conclusions show that closed tubular photobioreactor systems have more benefit than solar panel system from an environmental impact perspective considering Australia’s current struggle with water scarcity,drought,air pollution and carbon emission reduction goals.

Environmental rehabilitation of damaged land

Background:Much land is subject to damage by construction,development and exploitation with consequent loss of environmental function and services.How might the loss be recovered?Results:This article develops principles of environmental rehabilitation.Key issues include the following.Rehabilitation means restoring the previous condition.Whether or not to restore is not a technical but a value judgement.It is subject to adopting the sustainability ethic.If the ethic is followed under rule of law then rehabilitation must be done always to’the high standard’which means handing down unimpaired environmental function and no extra land management.The elements of the former condition that it is intended to restore must be specified.Restoring these in any given case is the purpose of that rehabilitation project.The specified restoration elements must be easily measurable with a few simple powerful metrics.Some land damage is not fixable so restraint must be exercised in what construction,development and exploitation are permitted.If sustainability is adopted then cost benefit analysis is not a valid form of project appraisal because trading off present benefits against future losses relies on subjectively decided discount rates,and because natural capital is hard to price,indispensable,irreplaceable and non-substitutable.Elements often to be restored include agricultural land capability,landscape form and environmental function.Land capability is a widely used convention and,with landscape form,encapsulate many key land factors,and are easily measurable.Restoring soil and thereby environmental function provides the necessary base for an ecological pyramid.Conclusions:The need for rehabilitation is not to be justified by cost-benefit or scientific and technological proof,but rests on a value judgement to sustain natural capital for present and future generations.Decision on what activities and projects to permit should be based on what is physically and financially fixable on current knowledge.Business and government must be proactive,develop rehabilitation standards,work out how to meet the standards,design simple powerful metrics to measure performance against the standards,embark on continuous improvement,and report.

The scoping study of Kazakhstan-China-Republic of Korea power interconnection

Electric interconnection is an essential trend for future large-scale development and utilization of renewable energy.China has proposed the concept of Global Energy Interconnection to realize the clean utilization of energy through the interconnection of power grids and optimize the allocation of global energy resources.This study proposes the Kazakhstan-China-Republic of Korea networking scheme,analyzing the characteristics of power supply and demand in these countries.Based on the regional economic analysis and power development,four interconnection schemes are proposed utilizing UHVDC technology.Accordingly,existing problems and favorable factors are fully considered.The investment analysis of±1100 kV and±800 kV lines,configuration scheme of the converter station,and investment estimation of four interconnection schemes are given.

Long-Term Environmental Accounting on Civil Infrastructures in Developing Countries

This paper proposes the environmental burden and benefit assessment method, which contributes to the evaluation of public works, by considering a quantitative environmental impact. The method developed is applied for the Bangkok subway construction project, so that the environmental impact following the Bangkok subway construction work is evaluated on the basis of environmental accounting. As a result, it was possible to quantify the burden and benefits to the environment in the life cycle of the Bangkok subway. In addition by converting the burden and benefits of the Bangkok subway construction project into monetary terms and introducing the Economic Internal Rate of Return （EIRR）, it was possible to evaluate the subway construction project from an economic point of view.

The Bruce Highway Action Plan Program Evaluation

The BHAP （Bruce Highway Action Plan） Program Evaluation was a momentous task conducted in most part by the TMR （Transport and Main Roads） CBA （cost benefit analysis） team. The evaluation included 189 overtaking lanes, 404 km of road widening and shoulder sealing in various places between Brisbane and Cairns, 56 capacity focused projects and 16 flood immunity focused projects. The total projected capital costs of all projects proposed as part of the BHAP amounted to over 16 billion dollars. The program evaluation conducted, due to the short timeframes, lack of available data and strategic nature of the plan, has been ＂coined＂ a strategic evaluation. This paper focuses on the methodology applied to the projects proposed in the BHAP. A TMR designed project/program evaluation model （CARP （Concise Analysis of Road Programs） V1.0） was used to evaluate the majority of the proposed BHAP projects. The model produces streams of discounted benefits and costs of the projects and program using limited and incomplete data. The large scale of work and the close proximity of projects allowed for an integrated approach to the analysis, which considered the impact projects have on each other. The result of the program, if all evaluated projects are included, is a BCR （benefit cost ratio） of approximately 0.7l at a discount rate of 7%. If the less viable projects are removed from the program, the program can obtain a benefit cost ratio of greater than 1 with a sufficiently large number of projects remaining.

Determination of the Size of a Proposed Bike-Sharing Program in Las Vegas, Nevada

Bike-share systems have been installed in cities worldwide as a way to attract travelers to use transit rather than the automobile. This has been proved to be an effective way of mitigating congestion on the road. The objective of this study is to develop a method to determine the size of the bike-share program in terms of the number of bicycles, the number and location of the stations, the number of docks at each station. To achieve the objectives of this study, a literature review was conducted on university bike-sharing systems in the U.S. and abroad. Various cases of bike-share programs were analyzed, in which each case consisted of a different number and location of bike-share stations. The demand corresponding to these stations was used as the input to a simulation model developed in this study to determine the number of docks in stations and bicycles in the system on and around campus at UNLV. These sizing parameters of the bike-share system then were used in a cost and benefit analysis to determine which cases could achieve maximum benefit, given a limitation of the initial costs. It was found that provision of one peripheral station and three internal stations at strategic locations provide relatively higher benefit cost ratio at lower initial cost.

Economic Assessment of Planned Projects in Highway Network Planning

This paper presents a method of economic assessment for planned projects in the process of highway network planning. Economic assessment method is being done on the basis of cost benefit analysis, and the cost and benefit calculation methods are discussed respectively.

Ecosystem service tradeoff between traditional and modern agriculture： a case study in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China

Besides crops, agriculture supplies all three major categories of ecosystem services （ES）. However, agriculture also supplies an array of ecosystem dis-services （EDS） that may harm other ecosystems. The flows of ES and EDS are directly dependent on the management of agricultural ecosystems. The traditional method of Chinese agriculture, which supports sustainable agriculture, has been proven to increase ES and reduce EDS. However, there is a lack of a detailed understanding of the ES and EDS associated with traditional agriculture, and also of differences between traditional and modem agriculture. In this study, an investigation was conducted on the ecosystem services （ES） and ecosystem dis-services （EDS） of traditional and modem agriculture in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China. Afterwards, the economic values of ES and EDS were quantified experimentally and calculated based on the market price. The results show that： the net economic value of traditional rice-fish agriculture was 3.31 x 104 CNY.haI （6.83 CNY = 1 USD as of July, 2009） and that of rice monoculture was 1.99 x 104 CNY.ha ~. Significant differences existed between traditional rice-fish and rice monoculture fields for their economic values of some ES or EDS. A benefit and cost analysis （BCA） model was used to adjust the conflict between the economic income and environmental loss from traditional and modem agricul- ture. The BCA model not only calculates the net income but also monetizes the EDS of the agricultural systems. The results showed that the net income of rice-fish agriculture was 1.94x 104CNY.ha-1 higher than that of rice monoculture. However, the benefit to cost ratio （BCR） of rice-fish agriculture was lower than that of rice monoculture, indicating that the traditional agricultural model was not the most optimized choice for farmers. The value of the rice-fish agriculture was much higher than that of the rice monoculture. Thus, when considering the benefits that rice-fish agriculture contributes to the large- scale society, these agricultural methods needs to be utilized. Furthermore, the labor opportunity costs were calculated and the comprehensive value of rice mono- culture was negative. Finally, the compensation standard was calculated based on the comprehensive benefit analysis. The lowest level was 1.09×103 CNY.ha-1, and the highest level was 1.21 × 104 CNY.ha-1.

Ecological compensation mechanism for urban green land and its application in Shanghai, China

Urban green land compensation plays an impor-tant role in county development,ecological environment management and many other fields.The concept,methods and principles of urban green land are introduced in this paper.According to the pay fee method,the value and ecological function of various types of urban green land were analyzed.The cost-benefit analysis method(CBAM)was used to estimate different external diseconomy benefits caused by green land loss.The authors applied CBAM to estimate such benefits in the case of Shanghai,China,and calculated the actual compensation value for green land.Results indicated that in 2002,the compensation value for the green land of Shanghai was RMB 8.58×10^(5) Yuan/hm^(2).