Prices are important signals for allocating resources efficiently. In agriculture, externalities arising from production, such as air and water pollution, or positive Ecological Goods and Services (EG&S), such as biodiversity, are not priced through the marketplace and hence are either overproduced (externalities) or underproduced (EG&S), since farmers’ production decisions will not account for these external costs or benefits. This provides a rationale for government intervention by introducing either regulations and penalties (the stick approach), or subsidies and incentives (the carrot). Increasingly, agri-environmental policies in Canada are addressing externalities by encouraging better management practices that reduce environmental impacts or reward EG&S.  

In light of CAPI`s newly released Quick Think Report on Externalities, this webinar will focus on how externalities are being addressed in Canadian agriculture, with a panel of academic, industry and government experts discussing the various approaches that can be used to promote or discourage them. The webinar will open with a presentation by report author Margaret Zafiriou followed by a lively panel discussion.   

View Webinar recordings