Co-operative Management of the Agricultural Environment

Project Status: Completed (See Final Report Summary)
Type of Project: Scoping Study
Principal Investigator: Dr Jeremy Franks, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (Email)

Publications, Data and Other Outputs

 

Objectives

This scoping study will investigate the combination of contractual and environmental circumstances under which environmental goods could be produced by a club of land managers.

Aims

(1) Define the theoretical underpinning and concept of “club” goods.

(2) Identify the practical arrangements in place to overcome organisational constraints.

(3) Identify the contribution of agri-environment (AE) clubs to the provision of public goods and the reduction in environmental pollution arising from farming.

(4) Identify any ‘springboard’ impact of AE clubs on the development of other collaborative rural-based business activities (e.g. branding, joint marketing, joint purchase of inputs etc.).

Summary

The research has three stages.

Stage 1: review the literature on the theory of impure public goods; the impact of eliminating the economics of configuration problem on the design of AE schemes; the organisation of AE co-operatives; and the potential for spin-off business to develop from the collaborative organisation.

Stage 2: visit AE co-operatives in Europe to develop case studies using interviews with key representatives. Identify the structure and rules of these clubs.

Stage 3: discuss the attitudes of U.K. Environmental Agencies towards the “club” provision of AE goods.