Exploitation of soil biota ecosystem services in agriculture: a bioeconomic approach

The paper investigates the trade-offs farmers face between immediate agricultural yields and the long-term maintenance of soil biota. Using optimal control theory, it identifies six bioeconomic states based on ecological interactions (normal vs. nuisance), farmer expectations (sustainable vs. non-sustainable), and technical orientations (natural resource oriented vs. agricultural effort oriented). The analysis reveals that secure property rights and long-term preferences do not automatically lead to conservation; instead, their effect is ambiguous and depends on the specific bioeconomic state of the agroecosystem.

• Soil biota provide essential supporting and regulating services to agriculture, including nutrient cycling, soil structuring, water infiltration improvement, and biological control of pests and diseases.
• Agricultural intensification degrades soil ecosystem services through three primary factors: increased frequency and magnitude of land-use changes, reduced organic resources returned to the soil, and the use of xenobiotic compounds like industrial fertilizers and pesticides.
• Secure property rights and long-term preferences are necessary but not sufficient conditions for the conservation of soil biota; in certain bioeconomic states, they may actually justify increased exploitation or disinvestment in natural services compared to myopic preferences.
• Farmers with long-term preferences will reduce external inputs (investing in soil biota) in three specific scenarios: when biota is costless and the stock is increasing (Normal-Sustainable), when the resource is positively valued and technology is natural resource oriented despite a declining stock (Normal-Non Sustainable and NRO), or when both inputs are costly and technology is agricultural effort oriented (Nuisance-Non Sustainable and AEO).
• The choice between intensive and extensive farming is unambiguous only when resource exploitation is sustainable and the resource is not harmful, leading the farmer to choose extensive farming by reducing external inputs and increasing land use.

APA

Foudi, S. (2012). Exploitation of soil biota ecosystem services in agriculture: a bioeconomic approach. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120224121748793606431.pdf

Chicago

Foudi, Sébastien. Exploitation of soil biota ecosystem services in agriculture: a bioeconomic approach. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2012. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120224121748793606431.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Foudi |first1=Sébastien |title=Exploitation of soil biota ecosystem services in agriculture: a bioeconomic approach |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=February 2012 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120224121748793606431.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{foudi2012exploitation, author = {Foudi, Sébastien}, title = {{Exploitation of soil biota ecosystem services in agriculture: a bioeconomic approach}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2012}, month = feb, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120224121748793606431.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }