Analysing the provision of agricultural public goods: The case of irrigated olive groves in Southern Spain

The analysis of the joint production of private and public goods (PGs) from farming activities is a fertile research field. These joint production. processes are typically characterized by a high level of complexity derived from the intense relationship between the production of both kinds of outputs. An integrated approach is strongly recommended to study the provision of agricultural PGs and the design of public intervention in this sector. Here, we propose a theoretical framework to apply an integrated approach using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to analyse the production of PGs by agricultural systems to support public decision-making concerning the design and implementation of agricultural policies. We introduce a novel approach in applying ANP through double direction of the influences among elements, allowing us to identify the most influenced PGs and the most influential farmer’s decisions. This methodological approach is empirically applied to a particular farming system; the irrigated olive groves (IOG) of Southern Spain. Results show that the PGs most influenced by olive growers’ decisions are soil fertility, visual quality of agricultural landscapes and farmland biodiversity. In addition, the most influential factors affecting the PGs provision are the structural factors, namely farm size and tree density, and, to a lesser extent, management factors dealing with fertilization, soil and irrigation management. These results are useful for supporting agricultural policy decision-making to enhance an adequate management of this farming system concerning PGs productionEn el artículo se analiza la producción de bienes públicos por parte de la agricultura. Mediante entrevistas a expertos siguiendo el método ANP se aplica al olivar de regadío.