A Ricardian analysis of US and Canadian farmland

Abstract

In this analysis, we undertake a comparative Ricardian analysis of agriculture between Canada and the United States. We find that the climate responses of the two countries are similar but statistically different despite the fact that the two countries are neighbors. Comparing the marginal impacts of climate change, we find that Canadian agriculture is unaffected by warmer temperatures but would benefit from more precipitation. US farms are much more sensitive to higher temperatures and benefit relatively less from increased precipitation. These marginal results were anticipated given that Canadian farms are generally cooler and drier than American farms. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.