Urbanizing Agriculture, Additionality, and the Adoption of Agricultural Conservation Practices

Abstract

Additionality is crucial to the success of programs aimed at promoting agricultural conservation practices. While its existence is established, it is important to understand the factors contributing to heterogeneity within the estimates. We explore urbanization as a novel pathway for that heterogeneity. Our analysis reveals reductions in additionality and higher voluntary adoption rates for more urban farms. These findings hold significant policy implications as they suggest that the relative targeting of funds to more rural areas may yield greater additionality. The final allocation would depend on a full analysis of the benefits and costs across the urban continuum.