Héctor Tavárez

Objective: This study aimed to develop a shared understanding about the drivers of nutrition security in Puerto Rico (PR) from the collective perspective of multi-sector stakeholders in the agri-food, environmental and the health/disease systems. Design: A participatory community-based system dynamics approach (group model building) engaged stakeholders during one 4-h workshop March 2023 (followed by two 2.5-h member checking sessions). Setting: San Juan, PR. Participants: Stakeholders (n 22) in PR representing the agri-food, environmental and health/disease systems from multiple sectors (commercial food retail and technology, food production, public servants, academia and civil society) participated in the workshop. Results: Stakeholders collectively framed nutrition security as an outcome of six interconnected subsystems exacerbated by climate change: (1) governance and public policy; (2) demographic change and rural disinvestment; (3) climate change and adaptive capacity; (4) local food production economy; (5) food culture; and (6) nutrition security and health. Stakeholders identified leverage points mostly focused on strengthening information flow within and across subsystems and expanding cross-sectoral collaboration (systems structures and elements). We identified three paradigms that have the potential to transform the system structure and function: ecological conscience, traditional and healthy food culture, and social cohesion. Conclusions: These findings deepened the collective understanding of systemic interdependencies that drive nutrition security as stakeholders identified locally feasible leverage points.

This study uses a questionnaire to examine device use effects in choice experiments and to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) values for agritourism-related activities. The results indicate that respondents using devices with large screens are more confident of their responses, dedicate more time to the valuation exercise, and select the status quo option less frequently. However, WTP for agritourism and perceived choice experiment complexity are invariant with regards to the device. Respondents’ WTP for selected agritourism activities varies from $5 to $21 per visit.

Forests offer a diverse range of ecosystem services for humans. For example, forests provide the space for passive recreational activities such as camping, hiking and bird watching. These activities are appealing to residents of all ages and in particular to those who cannot engage in more active recreational activities involving substantial expenditure of physical energy. The literature that examines the economic viability of developing passive recreational activities in forest ecosystems in developing countries is limited. Thus, using the Rio Hondo Community Forest in Puerto Rico as a case study, this study seeks to (1) estimate the benefits and costs of passive recreational opportunities, some of the nonmarket goods and services this forest offers, and (2) conduct a cost–benefit analysis to determine the economic viability of developing passive recreational activities. The results from this paper show that, in general, the residents prefer passive recreational activities demanding less effort. The development of such activities is economically viable. This study seeks to encourage inclusive forest management, ensuring that all groups of residents benefit from the forest, while simultaneously emphasizing sustainable practices.

Biodiversity is vital for sustainable forest ecosystems. However, community values for forest biodiversity depend on environmental engagement, education, and awareness. The objectives of this study are to (1) assess households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for native plant and tree nursery in the Rio Hondo Community Forest (RHCF) of Puerto Rico, with the specific goal of supporting biodiversity and (2) examine the influence of environmental awareness on preferences for biodiversity improvement. Using a contingent valuation method, we find that households are willing to contribute $43/year to support biodiversity in the RHCF by planting native plants and trees, and that environmental awareness increases the support for biodiversity projects. The results suggest that outcomes of economic cost-benefit analyses can depend on environmental awareness. Hence, programs that support environmental awareness can improve economic efficiency of environmental protection projects.

In Puerto Rico, we use a choice experiment method through in-person interviews to estimate consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for a half gallon of cow's milk that is produced locally, friendly to the environment and with ethics in animal management. The results from a random parameters logit model show that consumers are willing to pay a premium of up to 41% for differentiated milk, indicating a potential market for these products. We also find that consumer's income and education, and number of dependents affect WTP estimates. Implications for the development of differentiated milk products are discussed.

Many rural communities in developing countries experience severe water shortages, limiting their capacity for self-sustainability. This study used contingent valuation and choice experiment methods and in-person interviews to estimate household willingness to pay (WTP) for gray and green interventions to augment water supply in rural Costa Rica. In particular, we examined residents’ preferences for well construction, as a form of gray intervention, and reforestation, as a form of green intervention, aimed at alleviating water shortages. Household WTP to reduce annual water shortage by one day varied between $0.85 (95% CI = 0.77–0.94) and $1.32 (95% CI = 1.08–2.56) per month depending on the project. The results also indicated that households were willing to pay $2.28 (95% CI = 1.36–3.21) and $3.51 (95% CI = 2.57–4.44) per month to increase forest cover in the watershed by 140–180 and 300–340 ha, respectively, assuming no additional water provision from the reforestation project. Nonwater-related benefits comprised 25–34% of the WTP for green intervention, depending on the acreage scenario. We also observed that, even without the nonwater-related ecosystem service benefits associated with reforestation, the value of water from green intervention exceeded the corresponding value of water from gray intervention. The disparity between preferences for water obtained from gray and green intervention may be due to differences in corresponding timing, uncertainty, quality of additional water made available from the considered projects, and differences in value elicitation methods.

We used Likert-scale questions and the choice experiment method to evaluate the general perception of consumers regarding differentiated products and to estimate their willingness to pay for characteristics of a differentiated coffee, respectively (N=172). The three characteristics perceived as most important are that the product does not use child labor, that more detailed product information is provided in the packaging and that it is produced locally. In addition, we found that consumers are willing to pay between $1,37 and $4,38, in addition to the current price, for an 8-ounce package of coffee with different production characteristics.

Los humanos obtienen múltiples servicios de los ecosistemas, valorados en billones de dólares anualmente. A pesar de la importancia de estos servicios alrededor del mundo, aún seguimos enfrentando cambios en la cobertura y uso de terreno que pueden impactar negativamente la provisión de los servicios ecosistémicos. El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar cómo las características de un lugar afectan la selección de terrenos para practicar la apicultura. Desarrollamos un cuestionario con preguntas cerradas y utilizamos un Modelo Logit Ordenado para evaluar cómo las características de la región afectan la toma de decisiones de los apicultores en la Península de Nicoya, Costa Rica. Los resultados demuestran que aumentos en la cantidad de bosque, pasto o café, aumentan la probabilidad de seleccionar una opción como mejor alternativa para colocar las colmenas de abejas, siendo el bosque el uso de terreno preferido por la diversidad de recursos florales. Los resultados también demuestran que los lugares con acceso a mejores carreteras tienen mayor probabilidad de ser seleccionados como mejor alternativa para colocar las colmenas.