Research Seminars @ Illinois

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Tailored for undergraduate researchers, this calendar is a curated list of research seminars at the University of Illinois. Explore the diverse world of research and expand your knowledge through engaging sessions designed to inspire and enlighten.

To have your events added or removed from this calendar, please contact OUR at ugresearch@illinois.edu

Targeted Subsidies for Water Conservation in Smallholder Agriculture

Event Type: Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor: Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE)
Location: 426 Mumford Hall
Virtual
Date: Oct 6, 2023 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Speaker: Kyle Emerick, Associate Professor, Tufts University Dept. Economics
Views: 103
Originating Calendar: ACE Seminars; Abstract - click on the title above to link to the corresponding paper.
Groundwater depletion threatens long-term food security in developing countries. Moreover, groundwater pumping contributes to climate change. We evaluate the effect of targeted subsidies for technology to use groundwater more efficiently in agriculture. Using a randomized controlled trial across 360 villages in Bangladesh, we show that subsidies reduce electricity used for pumping by 38 percent, but only when targeted to water sellers. Subsidizing technology to individual farmers has smaller effects. Features of the groundwater market can explain this result. Natural monopolist water sellers charge fixed fees to farmers, but maintain a role in irrigation planning, incentivizing them to adopt conservation practices.

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