Nir Becker - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Nir Becker
Aquaculture International, 2022
Aquaponics is often presented as a sustainable food production system that can reduce environment... more Aquaponics is often presented as a sustainable food production system that can reduce environmental costs of global food production; yet, its actual environmental effects are understudied. The aim of this research was to review the limited number of life cycle assessment studies dealing with aquaponics, and to highlight environmental cost and benefit of this practice. Our assessment highlights some of the problems, challenges, and advantages of aquaponics as a valuable food production system. We propose guidelines for future life cycle assessments of aquaponics that will facilitate policy and decision-making for farmers with respect to aquaponics.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
Southern Economic Journal, 1998
Environmental Pest Management, 2017
se and non-use value are being identified for the proposed Rosh Haniqra Marine U Reserve (RHMR). ... more se and non-use value are being identified for the proposed Rosh Haniqra Marine U Reserve (RHMR). They are divided into commercial and ecological values. A conflict range was determined in order to better understand the major alternatives faced by policy makers and planners in order to achieve a sustainable development phase for this region. Finally, a price analysis was conducted in order to better understand how economic incentives could achieve ecological conservation. A closed coast road can cause a massive tourist pressure on sensitive areas in the site itself.
Ocean & Coastal Management, 2019
Management of Transboundary Water Resources under Scarcity, 2017
The Jordan River, one of the world’s most famous, has been reduced to a little more than a draina... more The Jordan River, one of the world’s most famous, has been reduced to a little more than a drainage ditch after years of neglect. However, given its rich heritage and environmental importance, rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River (LJR) brings with it the potential for significant cultural, ecological, and economic benefits. This regional benefits study estimated the magnitude of the economic benefits Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis may achieve from river restoration. The study used different nonmarket valuation techniques to help identify the scale of benefits that can be derived from various rehabilitation scenarios, addressing both flow magnitude and water quality. The results identify several positive-sum outcomes from rehabilitation of the LJR, especially from a regional perspective. As such, it points to the potential for rehabilitation of the river to provide shared benefits and common interests among parties in a region more typically characterized by political conflict and stalemate.
Global Issues in Water Policy, 2015
Israel manages its water scarcity by a relatively unique combination of quantitative and pricing ... more Israel manages its water scarcity by a relatively unique combination of quantitative and pricing tools. As a semiarid climate country, efficient water pricing might prove to have much more potential welfare implications. The chapter contains a summary of the theoretical background of the different water pricing policies and reforms that have been recently implemented. The summary will then be accompanied by an effort to explain the rationale of the reforms. The chapter covers water pricing schemes in the various sectors and links them into one consistent policy vision. Currently, water pricing in Israel is more closely connected to the true scarcity value of this natural resource. Yet the goals and targets faced by water planners in Israel do not allow water prices to be the only allocation mechanism, and as such, a mixture of quantities and prices will be explored. The challenges faced now by the water regulators are new and contain pricing of different water sources (treated wastewater, desalinated water, etc.) for a variety of uses, including those that are characterized as nonmarket in nature (e.g., in-stream value) and those that should be based on basin cooperation among different countries (e.g., the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and, potentially, Syria and Lebanon in the future).
Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sus... more Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sustainable food production. Despite increasing research and investments in commercial scale systems, aquaponics is not yet a successful industry and most businesses report negative returns. Aquaponic produce is thought to contain added value to the consumer, and the environment. As most consumers are unaware of aquaponics and their benefits, little is known of its potential market. The present study addressed this gap by analysing willingness to consume aquaponic produce at different price levels in Israel and Australia. We used econometric tools to study the effects of pricing and other factors on revenues in each country. Cluster analysis was used to define groups of potential consumers. The results indicate that 17-30% of the population would prefer to consume aquaponic produce once informed of their added value. Revenues at given premiums would be higher in Israel than in Australia, an...
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2021
A perpetual lack of adequate resources to conserve and protect nature requires managers to priori... more A perpetual lack of adequate resources to conserve and protect nature requires managers to prioritize some conservation efforts over others. Conservation managers tend to resist prioritization based on one specific goal, preferring to compare the outcomes of conservation programs with the achievement of diverse goals. We describe a conservation index based on a survey of management at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). The result provided an index for spatial prioritization of conservation efforts. The surveys revealed a strong preference for conservation attributes that were more relevant in the north of Israel where levels of biodiversity are perceived to be higher. The contribution of this research is to provide an objective method of spatial prioritization not requiring conservation managers to express preferences for one region over another. A second contribution of the research was the revealed differences in prioritization of conservation goals between national INP...
Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this docu-ment do not imp... more Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this docu-ment do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries.The opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of RAC/SPA and UNEP.
Reviews in Aquaculture, 2018
Aquaponics, which integrates hydroponic farming and aquaculture, has the potential for sustainabl... more Aquaponics, which integrates hydroponic farming and aquaculture, has the potential for sustainably producing high-quality food, but has yet to achieve commercial success. In recent years, however, commercial-scale aquaponics has received considerable attention from the scientific community, with the current literature covering many aspects of aquaponic production. We reviewed this literature and classified the specific areas covered by each paper and its contribution to either cost reduction or benefit enhancement. The literature regarding the economic benefits of aquaponics was summarised, and despite contradicting views of current profitability, there is a consensus that (i) larger systems are economically superior to smaller ones; (ii) profitability is sensitive to retail prices; and (iii) commercial aquaponics are more profitable through improved business plans. This review provides a quantitative scientific analysis of the bioeconomics and potential of commercial aquaponics, useful for both researchers and practitioners. We argue for greater focus on three understudied aspects that could each be a 'game changer' for commercial aquaponics. These include the following: (i) grower considerations such as financial planning and risk management that affect potential growers' initial engagement in aquaponics; (ii) consumer perception of aquaponic products including the willingness to pay more for its added value; and (iii) the economic value of the environmental benefits of aquaponic systems and ways to internalise them for profit. Further study of each of these aspects, along with the ongoing improvement of production systems, will support the establishment of large-scale aquaponics as an economically sustainable industry.
<p>The global expansion of infrastructures is generating vast amounts of wa... more <p>The global expansion of infrastructures is generating vast amounts of waste soil (soil excavated from construction sites that cannot be used on-site); the amount of waste soil accumulated in the European Union in 2014 was estimated at 463 x 10<sup>6</sup> tons. The regulation and management of waste soil disposal are currently limited to: (1) local use for various engineering projects; (2) stockpiling on-site for future use; (3) transferal to landfills, which are currently overfilled, as padding material or for disposal. Despite a number of permitted actions for handling waste soil, a significant portion of it is disposed of in the area surrounding the construction site, thus raising the risk of pollution and landscape spoilage. Waste soils are commonly excavated from deep layers, and are therefore saline, sodic, and lack organic matter, preventing their use without pre-treatment. Moreover, due to the intensification of crop production, one-third of the global agricultural land area is susceptible to soil loss by erosion, constituting ~50% of total estimated soil erosion. Here we show a new approach for environmentally, agronomically and economically sustainable use of reclaimed waste soil to rehabilitate degraded agricultural land. In a 3-year field experiment under rain-fed conditions in a semi-arid region of Israel, we found that waste soil ploughed into agricultural soil had low erodibility, similar to that of the original agricultural soil, despite its high sodicity. Waste soil application tended to decrease the soil organic carbon concentration but had no detrimental effect on wheat hay yield or wheat grain yield or quality in the second and third year, respectively. The economic analysis suggested an average reduction of 8.7 million USD in waste soil disposal costs if 50% of the waste soil produced in Israel annually were to be utilized in agricultural fields. Thus, waste soil can be utilized successfully in degraded agricultural lands; this opens a new route to land reclamation and provides land managers and stakeholders with a sustainable way to reduce costs while transforming an environmental burden into a resource.</p>
Journal of Environmental Management, 2020
Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sus... more Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sustainable food production. Despite increasing research and investments in commercial scale systems, aquaponics is not yet a successful industry and most businesses report negative returns. Aquaponic produce is thought to contain added value to the consumer, and the environment. As most consumers are unaware of aquaponics and their benefits, little is known of its potential market. The present study addresses this gap by analysing willingness to consume aquaponic produce at different price levels in Israel and Australia. We used econometric tools to study the effects of pricing and other factors on revenues in each country. Cluster analysis was used to define groups of potential consumers. The results indicate that 17-30% of the population in both Israel and Australia would prefer to consume aquaponic produce once informed of their added value. Revenues at a given premium would be higher in Israel than in Australia, and higher for a leafy green, than for fish. Different segments of the population differed in their willingness to consume aquaponic produce, as well as in their stated motivations when purchasing food. Conclusions highlight the importance of case-specific research on consumer preferences and economic considerations preceding commercial investment in aquaponics.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2017
The willingness of private individuals in Israel to invest in energy-saving retrofit of the envel... more The willingness of private individuals in Israel to invest in energy-saving retrofit of the envelope of residential buildings was studied by means of a survey. Responses show that awareness of the need to conserve energy is high, but that willingness to participate in a retrofit project is modest and is limited to relatively small outlays. The decision on whether to retrofit at all, and then how much to invest in the project, is characterized as a two-stage process in which different factors may affect the outcome of each of the two stages. The major barrier to building retrofit is the perception (justified, in most cases) that the direct economic benefit to the homeowner from the resulting energy saving is small, and that given Israel's relatively mild climate, the payback period is very long. The stamp of approval provided by a government subsidy of 25% would have a large non-proportional effect on willingness to undertake building retrofit. Funding for the subsidy could be obtained from a Pigovian levy on electricity, applied for a limited period, and its environmental benefits outweigh the cost of the subsidy itself.
Water Resources Research, 2015
This paper presents a framework for discovering an economically viable water sharing plan among n... more This paper presents a framework for discovering an economically viable water sharing plan among neighboring communities for promoting peace and environmental protection. Its application is to the Middle East in which Israel may be facing water supply obligations to address environmental requirements and for a possible a peace agreement with its Palestinian neighbors. The framework consists of integrating external factors, constraints, policy instruments, and targets. Our findings from a constrained optimization analysis of Israel's national water system show that the costs of increased deliveries are dependent on two major issues: (1) achieving integrated water resources management (IWRM) in which efficient combinations of expansion from several supply sources and reductions in demands occur over time, and (2) the cost of desalination technologies. We identify a $US 1.46 billion price tag, in present value terms, from using integrated management of demand reduction and supply expansion under current desalination costs. Adjustment costs will decline both with anticipated reductions in desalination costs and with an efficient implementation of IWRM. These adjustments can contribute to moderating regional tensions and protecting key ecological assets while addressing water scarcity in a volatile corner of the world.
Journal of Infrastructure Development, 2009
As pressures mount to develop intensive business operations along a coastline prized for its natu... more As pressures mount to develop intensive business operations along a coastline prized for its natural beauty, varied plant and wildlife and archeological sites, it is important to present decision makers with a full analysis of all values associated with the area. In this study, we examine whether the benefits of business development along the Rosh Haniqra Marine Reserve in northern Israel indeed outweigh the costs of potential damages to the region’s delicate natural balance. The analysis of business value was carried out on the basis of a detailed survey of facilities operating within the proposed reserve area and assessment of their expansion plans. The non-market benefits associated with conservation of the reserve were estimated according to two independent methods—Contingent Valuation (CVM) and Travel Cost (TCM). Our analysis reveals that under certain assumptions, non-market values of the coastline are higher than its commercial value. Thus, while further analysis is required ...
Environmental Management, 2016
Water Economics and Policy, 2015
Regional Environmental Change, 2015
Aquaculture International, 2022
Aquaponics is often presented as a sustainable food production system that can reduce environment... more Aquaponics is often presented as a sustainable food production system that can reduce environmental costs of global food production; yet, its actual environmental effects are understudied. The aim of this research was to review the limited number of life cycle assessment studies dealing with aquaponics, and to highlight environmental cost and benefit of this practice. Our assessment highlights some of the problems, challenges, and advantages of aquaponics as a valuable food production system. We propose guidelines for future life cycle assessments of aquaponics that will facilitate policy and decision-making for farmers with respect to aquaponics.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
Southern Economic Journal, 1998
Environmental Pest Management, 2017
se and non-use value are being identified for the proposed Rosh Haniqra Marine U Reserve (RHMR). ... more se and non-use value are being identified for the proposed Rosh Haniqra Marine U Reserve (RHMR). They are divided into commercial and ecological values. A conflict range was determined in order to better understand the major alternatives faced by policy makers and planners in order to achieve a sustainable development phase for this region. Finally, a price analysis was conducted in order to better understand how economic incentives could achieve ecological conservation. A closed coast road can cause a massive tourist pressure on sensitive areas in the site itself.
Ocean & Coastal Management, 2019
Management of Transboundary Water Resources under Scarcity, 2017
The Jordan River, one of the world’s most famous, has been reduced to a little more than a draina... more The Jordan River, one of the world’s most famous, has been reduced to a little more than a drainage ditch after years of neglect. However, given its rich heritage and environmental importance, rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River (LJR) brings with it the potential for significant cultural, ecological, and economic benefits. This regional benefits study estimated the magnitude of the economic benefits Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis may achieve from river restoration. The study used different nonmarket valuation techniques to help identify the scale of benefits that can be derived from various rehabilitation scenarios, addressing both flow magnitude and water quality. The results identify several positive-sum outcomes from rehabilitation of the LJR, especially from a regional perspective. As such, it points to the potential for rehabilitation of the river to provide shared benefits and common interests among parties in a region more typically characterized by political conflict and stalemate.
Global Issues in Water Policy, 2015
Israel manages its water scarcity by a relatively unique combination of quantitative and pricing ... more Israel manages its water scarcity by a relatively unique combination of quantitative and pricing tools. As a semiarid climate country, efficient water pricing might prove to have much more potential welfare implications. The chapter contains a summary of the theoretical background of the different water pricing policies and reforms that have been recently implemented. The summary will then be accompanied by an effort to explain the rationale of the reforms. The chapter covers water pricing schemes in the various sectors and links them into one consistent policy vision. Currently, water pricing in Israel is more closely connected to the true scarcity value of this natural resource. Yet the goals and targets faced by water planners in Israel do not allow water prices to be the only allocation mechanism, and as such, a mixture of quantities and prices will be explored. The challenges faced now by the water regulators are new and contain pricing of different water sources (treated wastewater, desalinated water, etc.) for a variety of uses, including those that are characterized as nonmarket in nature (e.g., in-stream value) and those that should be based on basin cooperation among different countries (e.g., the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and, potentially, Syria and Lebanon in the future).
Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sus... more Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sustainable food production. Despite increasing research and investments in commercial scale systems, aquaponics is not yet a successful industry and most businesses report negative returns. Aquaponic produce is thought to contain added value to the consumer, and the environment. As most consumers are unaware of aquaponics and their benefits, little is known of its potential market. The present study addressed this gap by analysing willingness to consume aquaponic produce at different price levels in Israel and Australia. We used econometric tools to study the effects of pricing and other factors on revenues in each country. Cluster analysis was used to define groups of potential consumers. The results indicate that 17-30% of the population would prefer to consume aquaponic produce once informed of their added value. Revenues at given premiums would be higher in Israel than in Australia, an...
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2021
A perpetual lack of adequate resources to conserve and protect nature requires managers to priori... more A perpetual lack of adequate resources to conserve and protect nature requires managers to prioritize some conservation efforts over others. Conservation managers tend to resist prioritization based on one specific goal, preferring to compare the outcomes of conservation programs with the achievement of diverse goals. We describe a conservation index based on a survey of management at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). The result provided an index for spatial prioritization of conservation efforts. The surveys revealed a strong preference for conservation attributes that were more relevant in the north of Israel where levels of biodiversity are perceived to be higher. The contribution of this research is to provide an objective method of spatial prioritization not requiring conservation managers to express preferences for one region over another. A second contribution of the research was the revealed differences in prioritization of conservation goals between national INP...
Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this docu-ment do not imp... more Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this docu-ment do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries.The opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of RAC/SPA and UNEP.
Reviews in Aquaculture, 2018
Aquaponics, which integrates hydroponic farming and aquaculture, has the potential for sustainabl... more Aquaponics, which integrates hydroponic farming and aquaculture, has the potential for sustainably producing high-quality food, but has yet to achieve commercial success. In recent years, however, commercial-scale aquaponics has received considerable attention from the scientific community, with the current literature covering many aspects of aquaponic production. We reviewed this literature and classified the specific areas covered by each paper and its contribution to either cost reduction or benefit enhancement. The literature regarding the economic benefits of aquaponics was summarised, and despite contradicting views of current profitability, there is a consensus that (i) larger systems are economically superior to smaller ones; (ii) profitability is sensitive to retail prices; and (iii) commercial aquaponics are more profitable through improved business plans. This review provides a quantitative scientific analysis of the bioeconomics and potential of commercial aquaponics, useful for both researchers and practitioners. We argue for greater focus on three understudied aspects that could each be a 'game changer' for commercial aquaponics. These include the following: (i) grower considerations such as financial planning and risk management that affect potential growers' initial engagement in aquaponics; (ii) consumer perception of aquaponic products including the willingness to pay more for its added value; and (iii) the economic value of the environmental benefits of aquaponic systems and ways to internalise them for profit. Further study of each of these aspects, along with the ongoing improvement of production systems, will support the establishment of large-scale aquaponics as an economically sustainable industry.
<p>The global expansion of infrastructures is generating vast amounts of wa... more <p>The global expansion of infrastructures is generating vast amounts of waste soil (soil excavated from construction sites that cannot be used on-site); the amount of waste soil accumulated in the European Union in 2014 was estimated at 463 x 10<sup>6</sup> tons. The regulation and management of waste soil disposal are currently limited to: (1) local use for various engineering projects; (2) stockpiling on-site for future use; (3) transferal to landfills, which are currently overfilled, as padding material or for disposal. Despite a number of permitted actions for handling waste soil, a significant portion of it is disposed of in the area surrounding the construction site, thus raising the risk of pollution and landscape spoilage. Waste soils are commonly excavated from deep layers, and are therefore saline, sodic, and lack organic matter, preventing their use without pre-treatment. Moreover, due to the intensification of crop production, one-third of the global agricultural land area is susceptible to soil loss by erosion, constituting ~50% of total estimated soil erosion. Here we show a new approach for environmentally, agronomically and economically sustainable use of reclaimed waste soil to rehabilitate degraded agricultural land. In a 3-year field experiment under rain-fed conditions in a semi-arid region of Israel, we found that waste soil ploughed into agricultural soil had low erodibility, similar to that of the original agricultural soil, despite its high sodicity. Waste soil application tended to decrease the soil organic carbon concentration but had no detrimental effect on wheat hay yield or wheat grain yield or quality in the second and third year, respectively. The economic analysis suggested an average reduction of 8.7 million USD in waste soil disposal costs if 50% of the waste soil produced in Israel annually were to be utilized in agricultural fields. Thus, waste soil can be utilized successfully in degraded agricultural lands; this opens a new route to land reclamation and provides land managers and stakeholders with a sustainable way to reduce costs while transforming an environmental burden into a resource.</p>
Journal of Environmental Management, 2020
Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sus... more Aquaponics, the combined rearing of fish and hydroponic horticulture, has great potential for sustainable food production. Despite increasing research and investments in commercial scale systems, aquaponics is not yet a successful industry and most businesses report negative returns. Aquaponic produce is thought to contain added value to the consumer, and the environment. As most consumers are unaware of aquaponics and their benefits, little is known of its potential market. The present study addresses this gap by analysing willingness to consume aquaponic produce at different price levels in Israel and Australia. We used econometric tools to study the effects of pricing and other factors on revenues in each country. Cluster analysis was used to define groups of potential consumers. The results indicate that 17-30% of the population in both Israel and Australia would prefer to consume aquaponic produce once informed of their added value. Revenues at a given premium would be higher in Israel than in Australia, and higher for a leafy green, than for fish. Different segments of the population differed in their willingness to consume aquaponic produce, as well as in their stated motivations when purchasing food. Conclusions highlight the importance of case-specific research on consumer preferences and economic considerations preceding commercial investment in aquaponics.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2017
The willingness of private individuals in Israel to invest in energy-saving retrofit of the envel... more The willingness of private individuals in Israel to invest in energy-saving retrofit of the envelope of residential buildings was studied by means of a survey. Responses show that awareness of the need to conserve energy is high, but that willingness to participate in a retrofit project is modest and is limited to relatively small outlays. The decision on whether to retrofit at all, and then how much to invest in the project, is characterized as a two-stage process in which different factors may affect the outcome of each of the two stages. The major barrier to building retrofit is the perception (justified, in most cases) that the direct economic benefit to the homeowner from the resulting energy saving is small, and that given Israel's relatively mild climate, the payback period is very long. The stamp of approval provided by a government subsidy of 25% would have a large non-proportional effect on willingness to undertake building retrofit. Funding for the subsidy could be obtained from a Pigovian levy on electricity, applied for a limited period, and its environmental benefits outweigh the cost of the subsidy itself.
Water Resources Research, 2015
This paper presents a framework for discovering an economically viable water sharing plan among n... more This paper presents a framework for discovering an economically viable water sharing plan among neighboring communities for promoting peace and environmental protection. Its application is to the Middle East in which Israel may be facing water supply obligations to address environmental requirements and for a possible a peace agreement with its Palestinian neighbors. The framework consists of integrating external factors, constraints, policy instruments, and targets. Our findings from a constrained optimization analysis of Israel's national water system show that the costs of increased deliveries are dependent on two major issues: (1) achieving integrated water resources management (IWRM) in which efficient combinations of expansion from several supply sources and reductions in demands occur over time, and (2) the cost of desalination technologies. We identify a $US 1.46 billion price tag, in present value terms, from using integrated management of demand reduction and supply expansion under current desalination costs. Adjustment costs will decline both with anticipated reductions in desalination costs and with an efficient implementation of IWRM. These adjustments can contribute to moderating regional tensions and protecting key ecological assets while addressing water scarcity in a volatile corner of the world.
Journal of Infrastructure Development, 2009
As pressures mount to develop intensive business operations along a coastline prized for its natu... more As pressures mount to develop intensive business operations along a coastline prized for its natural beauty, varied plant and wildlife and archeological sites, it is important to present decision makers with a full analysis of all values associated with the area. In this study, we examine whether the benefits of business development along the Rosh Haniqra Marine Reserve in northern Israel indeed outweigh the costs of potential damages to the region’s delicate natural balance. The analysis of business value was carried out on the basis of a detailed survey of facilities operating within the proposed reserve area and assessment of their expansion plans. The non-market benefits associated with conservation of the reserve were estimated according to two independent methods—Contingent Valuation (CVM) and Travel Cost (TCM). Our analysis reveals that under certain assumptions, non-market values of the coastline are higher than its commercial value. Thus, while further analysis is required ...
Environmental Management, 2016
Water Economics and Policy, 2015
Regional Environmental Change, 2015