Approaching local residents' demand regarding pesticide use
Quelle demande des résidents vis-à-vis des pesticides ?
Résumé
This paper develops a contingent valuation method which provides the willingness-to-pay (WTP) valuesfor three potential policy measures to reduce pesticide use in wine growing in France, with a residential perspective. The survey was conducted among the population of two wine-growing territories in the French Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as inhabitants of close urban centres who may use these territories for recreational purposes. Respondents were provided with a hypothetical scenario of three policy measures, to which they were asked to financially contribute on a voluntary basis, through a regional fund. Each respondent was asked to indicate their WTP for the three policy measures. The results show that - residents of winegrowing municipalities who live less than 500m from vineyards, those who went to vineyard for their outdoor recreational activities, and people under the age of 45 - tend to perceive a benefit from the implementation of at least one of such measures. We also find that the stated values of CAP are lower for: respondents who have been living in the region for less than 5 years; those aged under 60; and those indicating to regularly buy organic wine. By aggregating the individual WTP values for the entire population concerned, it is possible to estimate the monetary value of the gain in social well-being for residents, implied by a policy aimed at reducing pesticide use.