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Optimal Levels of Fertilization Under Risk: The Potential for Corn and Wheat Fertilization Under Alternative Price Policies in Argentina
Author(s) -
De Janvry Alain
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1237728
Subject(s) - fertilizer , human fertilization , unavailability , investment (military) , economics , production (economics) , agricultural economics , agronomy , mathematics , biology , macroeconomics , politics , political science , law , statistics
Because economic return from fertilization is stochastic, a precise assessment of the risk in fertilizer investment is critical, especially in less‐developed countries. Using corn and wheat fertilizer response data from the Argentine Pampa, production conditions under which use of fertilizer would be economical are determined. Government protection of an obsolete fertilizer industry, high fertilizer prices, and inadequate tax breaks for users retard development of modern fertilizer technology. Despite current prices, fertilization would be possible on a majority of Argentine farms. Lack of use is attributed to the unavailability to farmers of technical and economic information. Social gains from alternative fertilizer price policies are calculate.