Crop genetic diversity, farm productivity and the management of environmental risk in rainfed agriculture
使用意大利西西里岛的农场数据，分析作物遗传多样性对产量均值、方差和偏度的影响，发现多样性可提高生产力并降低风险，但需低农药使用配合。
This paper presents an assessment of the linkages between crop genetic diversity, farm productivity and risk management. A flexible moment-based approach is used to analyse the impact of crop genetic diversity on the mean, variance and skewness of yield. Using farm-level data from Sicily (Italy), econometric evidence shows how crop genetic diversity can increase farm productivity and reduce risk exposure. The empirical results indicate that crop genetic diversity can reduce variance, but only if pesticide use is low. Furthermore, high diversity levels can reduce downside risk exposure (e.g. the risk of crop failure). This provides useful insights on the linkages between resilience and crop genetic diversity.