Ecological, Economic and Policy Alternatives for Texas Rice Agriculture
Sponsors: Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), the Texas A&M Agricultural Program, and the Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy
An interdisciplinary research team conducted a two-year project examining the ecological, economic, and policy alternatives for Texas rice agriculture. In addition to its agricultural value, rice is linked to a surrogate wetland system that provides at least some of the ecological services that have been lost as natural wetlands have given way to residential and commercial development. The objectives of this research were 1) to develop a reliable first estimate of the environmental consequences of reduction in rice acreage, 2) to analyze economic consequences of changes in rice acreage that may occur due to the changes in the system of price supports, and 3) to critically review existing policy and explore the kinds of institutional arrangements that might be developed to encourage the preservation of the environmental amenities provided by rice farming.
The project team developed a set of recommendations for the rice industry and policy makers and also identified areas where future research is needed. On the most general level, it is recommended that producers, their representatives, and policy makers become more attuned to the multiple output nature of agriculture and the implications of this for increased income, valuable alliances with powerful interest groups whose goals also include environmental health, and for a workable strategy for sustainable agriculture.
The interdisciplinary team of researchers included Dr. Letitia T. Alston (ISTPP/sociologist), Dr. Thomas E. Lacher (wildlife and fisheries sciences), Dr. R. Douglas Slack (wildlife and fisheries sciences), Dr. Arnold Vedlitz (ISTPP/ political science), and Dr. Richard T. Woodward (agricultural economics).
