3.7. Relevant Topics in Research on EEA
An analysis of the keywords enables the most relevant topics within the research on EEA to be identified. These topics focus on the consumer, the farmer, the markets, environmental policy, and public goods.
With regard to consumer behavior, willingness-to-pay (WTP) is widely used as an analytical tool. In this respect, Stenger [
31] elicits the WTP in a laboratory setting of the subjects for products that offer greater food safety as they have not been grown on land irrigated with wastewater. On the other hand, Lusk et al. [
32] conduct a field experiment that reveals that consumers prefer to pay a higher price for tender steaks in a blind tasting of different meats. Toler et al. [
33] find that concern for equity can explain why consumers prefer to shop at farm markets rather than traditional grocery stores, with a greater WTP premium for local food products. Economic experiments also measure the acceptance of technology in the consumption of food products. In this respect, Bieberstein et al. [
34] conclude, after a laboratory experiment, that consumers are reluctant to accept both food and packaging produced with nanotechnology.
Another aspect of consumer behavior is its stance towards risk. Taking food safety as a base, Lusk and Coble [
35] carried out a laboratory experiment in which they elicited the risk perception and risk preferences of the subjects in relation to the consumption of genetically modified food. Another aspect of consumer behavior studied is how the information presented affects decision making, which is interesting for advertising and marketing campaigns. This is the case of Marette et al. [
8] in which, through a field experiment, the weight that certain messages related to health in the choice of the consumer was tested.
Second, the analysis of farmer behavior within the studies of the sample is noteworthy. In relation to decision making that affects management and investment, De Koeijer et al. [
36] investigate the relationship between the complexity of farm management and technical farm performance, applied to the management of nitrogen in arable farms. The results enable the identification of the weak aspects in the management of individual farms, laying the foundations on which to work to improve their management. The behavior of producers is also studied with respect to the management of financing needs. This is the case of Messer et al. [
37], who investigate, in a laboratory, the effectiveness of alternative voluntary financing mechanisms of agricultural commodities as opposed to generic advertising programmes. In a study of the behavior of agricultural entrepreneurs, Musshoff et al. [
38] conduct a within-subject experiment in a laboratory setting to determine how de-investment decisions are affected not only by economic reasons, but also by non-monetary factors (emotions, attachment to farming, and different facets of psychological inertia). Given that classical investment theory and the real options approach do not correctly explain the behavior of investors, Maart-Noelck and Musshoff [
39] perform a laboratory experiment with farmers which reveals how they learn from their previous investments as well as considering that waiting is of great value in decision-making.
Other studies explain the risk attitude of farmers. In this sense, Warnick et al. [
40] conduct a field experiment that analyses risk and ambiguity aversion in rural Peru, showing how the latter has a negative effect on the probability of farmers planting more than one variety of the main crop. In a field experiment setting, Bocquého et al. [
41] find that farmers are averse to risk and are doubly sensitive to losses than gains. Brunette et al. [
42] carry out a lab experiment focused on forest parks and the influence of the risk attitude of the forest owners on the harvesting decision, due to the interest of policy makers to promote a public-private initiative. Gars and Ward [
43] show how we use our own personal experience and that of others in order to learn a new technology. This is the case of the adoption of a hybrid rice in India, where farmers’ risk and uncertainty preferences are elicited using lottery based experiments. Pollard et al. [
44] conduct a field experiment with farmers in Scotland to test the results obtained through laboratory experiments that find that cooperation is low in a context of uncertainty and work with different sources of uncertainty. Senapati [
45] continues with the study of farmer’s risk attitudes in terms of irrigated and rain-fed farming in India. This lab experiment shows that factors such as age, the level of education, the farm size and the HL lottery have a positive and significant effect on the risk behavior of the farmers in the sample.
The third relevant topic within the research on EEA is the functioning of the markets. In this respect, Wu and Roe [
46] justify why it is appropriate for growers and processors to use fixed performance contracts instead of tournament contracts in the regulation of agricultural production contracts. Also, in relation to failure markets, Yesuf and Bluffstone [
47] carry out a field experiment in the rural areas of Ethiopia to study the determinants of risk aversion in communities that largely depend on rain-fed agriculture/livestock production, which involves a high level of risk if mechanisms to transfer this risk to third parties are not available. In relation to the marketing of the products, Kanter et al. [
48] undertake an experiment involving milk and show how labeling new products (“rBST-free”, “organic food”) stigmatizes the conventional products that are already on the market. Dillaway et al. [
49] study the impacts of media information on the purchasing decision of products, using an experimental case study on food safety. Based on a laboratory experiment with a within-subject design, Wu et al. [
50] provide insights into how domestic agricultural producers seek to differentiate themselves through labeling with the place of origin and local messages in response to growing international competition.
A fourth topic in the research on EEA is environmental policy. The study by Palm-Forster et al. [
51], provides a reference of policy-making for the design of programmes that mitigate environmental damages and enhance the environmental benefits produced by agricultural landscapes. Murphy and Stevens [
52] explain how experimental economics helps to improve the effectiveness of calibrating and estimating the aggregates used in environmental valuation. Along the same lines, Poe et al. [
53] refer to experimental economics results to justify the design of policies to improve mechanisms for controlling environmental pollution. Lybbert [
54] experimentally analyses the willingness of poor farmers in India to use “pro-poor seeds” that stabilize crop yields and limit yield losses and better withstand climate fluctuations and biotic stresses. Bougherara and Combris [
55] use a mixed within-subject and between-subject laboratory experiment to study the WTP for products that are labeled ‘eco-friendly’. Important issues arise related to fair practices, farmers and local production, the purchase of ‘organic food’ being associated with interest, not only of an individual’s well-being but also of that of the group, which allows distinction to be made between altruist and selfish behavior. Cecchini et al. [
56] focus on the interest of consumers in agricultural and ecologically sustainable products (which translates in a willingness to pay a higher price), highlighting the use of ‘certificates’ to guide consumers.
A fifth relevant topic within the research on EEA is the study of public goods. In this respect, not only does experimental economics contribute its wealth of benefits to agriculture, but it also helps to confirm the experimental methods. Along these lines, Chang et al. [
57] conduct a field experiment to study consumer behavior, in which different scenarios are contemplated (hypothetical vs. non-hypothetical) in the purchase of certain products (ground beef, wheat flour). The results confirm previous evidence of experimental economics, indicating that non-hypothetical scenarios have a higher predictive power to elicit consumer behavior. With a laboratory experiment, Lusk and Norwood [
58] analyze the altruism of consumers expressed towards animal well-being (a positive externality), measuring the public-good value of farm animal welfare. An important point in this topic is the distribution of water, a problem of cooperation that is studied in Abbink et al. [
59], derived from the collapse of the USSR and the conflicting interests of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. With a multi-round laboratory experiment, based on a three-player Trust Game with non-binding contracts, they show the difficulty of establishing cooperation between the actors involved. Examining the guidelines of some of the journals of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, they find that researchers are able to use some forms of deception. In this respect, they evaluate 10 potentially deceptive experimental techniques, discussing arguments both in favor of and against the practices used.
Finally, it has been possible to establish the evolution of the main research topics identified throughout the analysed period. From 2000 to 2004 the main research topics focused on food safety [
29], consumer demand [
30,
50], as well as arable farming and environmental practices [
34,
51]. From 2005 to 2009, the central addressed issues were how consumer information affects consumers [
35], especially related to biotechnology [
52], and product labeling [
46]. From 2010 to 2014, the research focus shifted to water management [
57], investment management [
36], and farmer training [
39]. During this period, animal welfare [
56] also appeared as a concern, as well as the continuing study of ambiguity and risk [
38,
39]. Finally, from 2015 to 2020, studies related to agroenvironmental policy [
42,
49,
54] and the attention drawn to developing countries [
40,
41,
43] will definitely become a greater importance [
40,
41,
43].