Environmental and Production Cost Impacts of No-till in Finland: Estimates from Observed Behavior
利用芬兰农场数据，研究发现免耕法对总可变成本无显著影响，但增加了农药和化肥使用、减少了劳动力；环境模拟表明，免耕在高侵蚀土地上有利，但在平均条件下可能有害。
No-till has been promoted as a cultivation method that reduces both production costs and the environmental impacts of farming relative to conventional tillage. Using farm-level data from Finland, we show that no-till has no statistically significant effect on total variable costs but that it increases the use of plant protection products and fertilizers, and decreases the use of labor. An environmental impact simulation combining the results on input use with a nutrient and herbicide runoff model predicts that no-till produces environmental benefits on highly erodible land but may be even detrimental to the environment in average conditions. <i></i>