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The non-use existence value of nature is a seldom discussed topic in the field of economics, and for good reason: In a subject full of figures, equations, and meticulously constructed quantitative models, how could one estimate the numeric value of something so abstract and unused by people? In his recent paper "Worshipping the Tiger: Modeling Non-use Existence Values of Wildlife Spiritual Services," CEOS researcher and UIUC professor Dr. Shadi Atallah does exactly this. His newest research quantifies the spiritual value of the tiger to the Soligas Tribe in India and shows how that value can be harnessed as an economic tool for promoting sustainable wildlife conservation and preserving the ways of life of indigenous people.

CEOS' second round of bitesized Mini-Talks on the economics of sustainability are coming up soon! Join us on Wednesday December 12th for four 10-minute talks from University of Illinois Faculty that focus on the sustainability economics of food and agriculture. Like before, the talks will be followed by a brief Q&A session and are as follows:

Joe Janzen | "How much U.S. farmland is organic?"

Ben Gramig | “If less tillage costs less, then why don’t more farmers use conservation tillage?”

Brenna Ellison | "Digging in: Food waste along the supply chain"

Shadi Atallah | "Are consumers willing to pay for both local brewing and local hops?"

The session will be hosted via Zoom, and sign-up can be found here. All are welcome!

CEOS's mini-talks on the economics of sustainability are coming up soon! Join us on Wednesday, October 28th to hear four 10 minute segments from College of ACES faculty about overcoming sustainability challenges in agricultural and urban systems. The talks will be followed by a brief Q&A session, and are as follows:

Amy Ando | "Using Nature to Stop the Next Pandemic "

Madhu Khanna | "Economic and Environmental Costs and Benefits of Biofuels"

Hope Michelson | "Small Farmers and Global Value Chains - Sustaining Development?"

Yilan Xu | "Fracking: Myths and Truths"

The session will be hosted via Zoom, and sign-up can be found here. All are welcome!

David Bullock and a team of researchers recently secured a $4,000,000 grant from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help American farmers implement on-farm conservation practices. The grant will be put toward David’s project, “Improving the Economic and Ecological Sustainability of U.S. Crop Production through On-Farm Precision Experimentation," which is currently seeking applications from eligible farm owners.

In the coming months, researchers will deploy data-intensive technologies to monitor the effects on yield of reducing nitrogen loss for cotton, corn, wheat and soybean crops. The experiments will be site-specific and will allow farmers to precisely limit their inputs based on the data they have collected, with the end goal of increasing efficiency and profits for their farms. David and his team believe that their experiments are truly revolutionary and will provide results that have the potential to improve the lives of farmers across the country.

The USDA’s National Food Institute of Agriculture recently awarded a $5.2 million grant to a research team from Michigan State University led by George Sundin and Nikki Rothwell who will be working in conjunction with CEOS’ Shadi Attalah. The team will be conducting comprehensive research into control methods for fire blight, a deadly bacterial disease affecting U.S. apples and pears. Shadi will be working with a graduate student to develop a bio-economic model for fire blight management in apples, with a focus on novel, non-antibiotic strategies. The work will be in collaboration with College of ACES Crop Scientist Youfu Zhao and other plant pathologists from 8+ other institutions. Congratulations Shadi!

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