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The prohibition of neonicotinoids in Switzerland – economic effects on rapeseed cultivation and a temporal-spatial approach to pest reduction
Following the temporary ban on neonicotinoids and its consequences for Swiss rapeseed production, a new innovative tool for pest control shall be discussed and assessed: the temporal and spatial coordination of crop choices.
Keywords: prohibition neonicotinoids Switzerland economic effects raspseed cultivation temporal spatial approach pest reduction coordination crop choices pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus economic impacts chemical substitutes ichneumon wasps microeconomic agent based model
Context:
Seed treatments of rapeseed with neonicotinoides were banned in Europe and Switzerland by the end of 2014. This lead to problems fighting the pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus) and other pests, as substitutes were scarce, and therefore had large economic impacts on rapeseed cultivation in Switzerland and the EU. A solution to this problem is the use of chemical substitutes, but could also be a new innovative system of temporal-spatial management in rapeseed cultivation combined with biological control with ichneumon wasps.
Research questions:
1.) How are neonicotinoids used in European rapeseed cultivation and what are possible substitutes?
2.) Outlining the ban of neonicotinoids in EU and Switzerland and economic impacts on rapeseed cultivation in Switzerland.
3.) Building a microeconomic (agent based) model using temporal-spatial management in rapeseed cultivation combined with biological control.
4.) Can such an approach be an economically viable substitute for conventional plant protection measures against the Meligethes aeneus, and how should incentives be designed for a successful implementation of such an alternative?
Methods:
1.) Literature research.
2.) Design of a small (agent based) microeconomic model of temporal-spatial management in rapeseed cultivation.
3.) Analysis of private and social welfare outcomes based on the model.
Literature:
Eisenstein, M. (2015). Pesticides: Seeking answers amid a toxic debate. Nature, 521(7552), S52-S55.
Hoop, D., & Schmid, D. (2015). Grundlagenbericht 2014. Zentrale Auswertung von Buchhaltungsdaten. Ettenhausen: Agroscope INH.
Schneider, G., Krauss, J., Riedinger, V., Holzschuh, A., & Steffan‐Dewenter, I. (2015). Biological pest control and yields depend on spatial and temporal crop cover dynamics. Journal of Applied Ecology.
Context: Seed treatments of rapeseed with neonicotinoides were banned in Europe and Switzerland by the end of 2014. This lead to problems fighting the pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus) and other pests, as substitutes were scarce, and therefore had large economic impacts on rapeseed cultivation in Switzerland and the EU. A solution to this problem is the use of chemical substitutes, but could also be a new innovative system of temporal-spatial management in rapeseed cultivation combined with biological control with ichneumon wasps.
Research questions: 1.) How are neonicotinoids used in European rapeseed cultivation and what are possible substitutes? 2.) Outlining the ban of neonicotinoids in EU and Switzerland and economic impacts on rapeseed cultivation in Switzerland. 3.) Building a microeconomic (agent based) model using temporal-spatial management in rapeseed cultivation combined with biological control. 4.) Can such an approach be an economically viable substitute for conventional plant protection measures against the Meligethes aeneus, and how should incentives be designed for a successful implementation of such an alternative?
Methods: 1.) Literature research. 2.) Design of a small (agent based) microeconomic model of temporal-spatial management in rapeseed cultivation. 3.) Analysis of private and social welfare outcomes based on the model.
Literature: Eisenstein, M. (2015). Pesticides: Seeking answers amid a toxic debate. Nature, 521(7552), S52-S55. Hoop, D., & Schmid, D. (2015). Grundlagenbericht 2014. Zentrale Auswertung von Buchhaltungsdaten. Ettenhausen: Agroscope INH. Schneider, G., Krauss, J., Riedinger, V., Holzschuh, A., & Steffan‐Dewenter, I. (2015). Biological pest control and yields depend on spatial and temporal crop cover dynamics. Journal of Applied Ecology.
Goal of the thesis is an economic assessment of effects of the neonicotinoids ban on Swiss rapeseed production and the elaboration of an alternative temporal-spatial approach.
Goal of the thesis is an economic assessment of effects of the neonicotinoids ban on Swiss rapeseed production and the elaboration of an alternative temporal-spatial approach.