RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TOE Home Dr. M.G. Chandrakanth, PI, gave lectures on (i) Challenges in measuring Existence value of devara kadu of Kodagu and (ii) Valuation of benefits due to watershed development program including the groundwater recharge effects, at the Enviromental Studies Department, Florida International University, Miami and in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas. During his stay during April-June 2001, as visiting fellow funded by the EEOFC, World Bank, Dr Chandrakanth prepared two research papers with Dr Mahadev Ganapathi Bhat, Environmental Studies Department, FIU, Miami, on existence value and on estimation of negative externalities. Dr Dhananjaya Arakere, Visiting Fellow, Texas A and M University, College Station, conducted a five day workshop on Application of econometrics in natural resource economics for the benefit of faculty and students of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Marketing from 23rd to 27th Nov 2001. Dr Dhananjaya trained the students in using the LIMDEP and SPSS packages. Sri PS Srikanthamurthy, Assistant Professor is training final year B.Sc.(Agri.) and Agricultural Marketing students to take the ICAR Junior Research Fellowship Examination covering agricultural and natural resource economics. Dr MG Chandrakanth, PI, along with the research fellows GB Lokesh, KK Prasanna Rashmi, BK Rohith, BM Ravi and PG Students, KP Mangala, RD Ramya, Prakashkumar, Milkesha, Rajendra, Kusha, Chaitra, BT Srinivasa and Y Nagaraju participated in the workshop on Watershed Management at Water Technology Center, TNAU, Coimbatore from 28th to 30th Nov 2001. Sri PS Srikanthamurthy, Assistant Professor, participated in the training program on "Fresh Water Pearl Culture" at the Central Institute of Fresh Water Aquaculture, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, during the first fortnight of Sep 2001. For the benefit of professional editing in bringing out the NRE News Letter, GS Arathi specializing in Journalism is taken on contractual basis since October 2001. At present, NRE is taught at PG level in some SAUs. There are no well structured courses at the UG level. Regarding research, stray attempts are made with respect to NRE. NRE and management in extension efforts is totally lacking, though vital natural resources like groundwater, medicinal, forest products, timber, their quantity and quality are at stake. This center envisages to generate information on all aspects of NRE and management and sustainability in teaching, research and extension in agricultural universities. The emphasis on NRE began in the post 1972 oil price shock period. It was in order to recollect the efforts of institution builders in HRD in Natural Resource Economics at the SAUs in India, the Tropical Resources Institute and The School of Forestry And Environmental Studies, Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley, took the initiative of generating funds from the Ford Foundation, for training the faculty of SAUs to initiate Forestry degree program during 1986. This program trained two teaching faculty from India in forest resource economics, of which University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore was one of the beneficiaries. Later during 1992, the University College, London, generated funds from the same donor to train one economist of UAS, Bangalore in environmental economics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm provided opportunities to two researchers from UAS, Bangalore with funds from McArthur Foundation, to participate in a workshop on environmental economics during 1995. The Royal Institute has been a World Center in collating and disseminating information on environmental economics. UAS, Bangalore has a rich collection of this literature. The efforts of the Ford Foundation and The Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, are worthy of mention for their support to teaching and research in NRE at UAS, Bangalore. The Winrock brought out the first text book on NRE as related to situation in India during 1997 and involved a few faculty of SAUs in this endeavor. Winrock in a Workshop provided teaching material to around 30 economists of SAUs during 1991 at the University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan. In addition, the WINROCK chose UAS, Bangalore to receive a modest research funding for developing courses in NRE at the PG level, and for research in NRE. This paved way for formulating courses at the UG and PG levels in NRE at UAS, Bangalore in 1992. Efforts to introduce NRE at the UG level as an independent course or as topics spread over related courses in agricultural economics have been sporadic in the State Agricultural Universities. UAS, Bangalore is the pioneer in incorporating NRE formally at the UG level, since 1992, in the course "Ag Econ 101: Introduction to Agricultural and Resource economics (2+0)"; at the Masters' level in the course "Ag Econ 609: Natural Resource Economics - I" (1+1) and at the Doctoral level in the course "Ag Econ 705: Natural resource economics - II (2+0)" when the University switched to the Semester system of education. Research in the economics of surface water and groundwater irrigation has been undertaken at UAS, Bangalore since 1970. While the estimation of discounted cash flow measures from irrigation were the main foci in the seventies, estimation of the negative externalities in irrigation has been the focus in the nineties. In this regard, the FORD FOUNDATION sponsored the research in natural resource economics at UAS, Bangalore to study the equity issues in failed irrigation wells in the hard rock areas of Karnataka (1994 - 1998) is developing methodologies inter alia to measure and incorporate the cost of negative externalities in estimating the net returns from groundwater irrigation. The cost of coping with premature failure of irrigation well(s) and the supply of irregular and low voltage electricity to bail out groundwater and their differential impacts on small and large farmers are being examined. Water markets in some groundwater scarce regions are emerging and have indicated differential prices for crops hinting at food security of irrigated farmers. In some areas, case studies on drip irrigation have proven the economic worthiness in the backdrop of increasing groundwater scarcity. Studies on relative economics of venturing to augment groundwater through drilling additional wells versus investment on drip / sprinkler systems which promote efficient use of groundwater are in progress. The Ministry of Environment and Forests sponsored the Regional Center for Wasteland Development at UAS, Bangalore in 1984. This Center conducted workshops / training programs / studies inter alia on the participation of people and NGOs in forest development, fodder balance, development status of farm forestry and cost sharing and distribution of benefits in social forestry programs. Research on the economics of agroforestry practices in the arecanut farming system of western ghats sponsored by Winrock International at UAS, Bangalore has enabled valuation of the contribution of 'soppina betta' lands as common property resources in the cultivation of arecanut in up, middle and low lands. Research on the economics of desilting irrigation tank sponsored by Winrock at UAS, Bangalore has proved that the yield of irrigation wells in the command area of tank increased and enabled farmers to increase their irrigation intensity and economic worthiness. Intensive studies on common property resources have been conducted by economists of ICRISAT and ISEC, experiments regarding Joint Forest Management have been conducted by Forest Department, West Bengal; and studies on the feasibility of carbon sequestering have been conducted by Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science.