Mathematical programming models for agri-environmental policy analysis: A case study from the White Carpathians Modely matematického programování pro analýzu agroenvironmentálních politik: Případová studie z Bílých Karpat

The European model of multifunctional agriculture recognises the value of other agricultural outputs than food and fibre. The Czech Administration adopted this model and is translating it progressively into the national agricultural policy. In this paper, we present BEGRAB_PRO.1 – a mathematical programming model for BEef and GRAssland Biodiversity PRoduction Optimisation – elaborated for the analysis of organic suckler cow farms in the White Carpathians PLA (Protected Landscape Area), the Czech Republic. This model describes the suckler cow farm production system and enables to account not only for beef but also for biodiversity production. Biodiversity production is in the model depicted by a system of technical constraints which represent restrictions and tasks to be respected in order to produce the particular environmental goods. The number of hectares managed in compliance with these prescriptions is used as a benchmark for the quantity of biodiversity produced. Prescriptions from the current agri-environmental measures aiming directly at biodiversity production are applied with the hypothesis that they were properly designed and thus their respect increases the quantity of biodiversity.