Calendrier du 31 octobre 2023
Applied Economics Lunch Seminar
Du 31/10/2023 de 12:30 à 13:30
Salle R2.21
FLORES Ignacio (World Inequality Database, PSE)
Does Land Inequality Magnify Climate Change Effects? Evidence from French Agriculture
In this study, we explore how different levels of farmland inequality can mediate the adverse effects of heatwaves on agricultural productivity. Leveraging a unique data set that merges French land registry records with satellite imagery, we show that areas with pronounced land-ownership consolidation face steeper declines in productivity during thermal shocks --i.e., Gross Primary Productivity. We then show that regions with more unequal land distribution exhibit diminished crop diversity, a pattern consistent with a simple model in which the incentives for specialisation exist. We provide new evidence to examine the productivity-resilience trade-off, according to which more unequal regions tend to be more productive in normal times, but less resilient under extreme weather. Our findings have implications for farmers' and policymakers' view on the determinants of optimal agricultural production when considering diversity-trade-offs in the face of the climate change, with direct implications on resilience and stability.