Environmental markets and agricultural outcomes: Evidence from Chile

My project uses spatial and temporal variation in water market activity over both ground and surface water in Chile, where the privatized water rights system is arguably the most laissez–faire in the world, to provide causal evidence on how farmers respond to water scarcity in the context of well–defined property rights over water. While in Chile, my objective was to meet with local experts in Chilean water markets and learn about how the legal context operates on the ground. To this end, I met with many academic experts in Chilean agriculture and water rights, including Dr. Eugenio Bobonreith, Dr. William Foster, Dr. Oscar Melo, Pablo Osses, and Francisco Gallego. I also had the privilege of discussing my research with Dr. Oscar Cristi, former Director of the Water Authority in Chile. I learned the importance of being entrepreneurial in networking; some of my most important conversations were had due to recommendations from others in my network that were only established once I was there. My research informs the effects that water markets can have for agricultural producers and their effectiveness for achieving sustainability goals, which are central points of concern in many parts of the world.