Natural resources conservation management and strategies in agriculture

This paper suggests a holistic framework for assessment and improvement of management strategies for conservation of natural resources in agriculture. First, it incorporates an interdisciplinary approach (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Ecology, Technology, Behavioral and Political Sciences) and presents a modern framework for assessing environmental management and strategies in agriculture including: specification of specific “managerial needs” and spectrum of feasible governance modes (institutional environment; private, collective, market, and public modes) of natural resources conservation at different level of decision-making (individual, farm, eco-system, local, regional, national, transnational, and global); specification of critical socio-economic, natural, technological, behavioral etc. factors of managerial choice, and feasible spectrum of (private, collective, public, international) managerial strategies; assessment of efficiency of diverse management strategies in terms of their potential to protect diverse eco-rights and investments, assure socially desirable level of environmental protection and improvement, minimize overall (implementing, third-party, transaction etc.) costs, coordinate and stimulate eco-activities, meet preferences and reconcile conflicts of individuals etc. Second, it presents evolution and assesses the efficiency of diverse management forms and strategies for conservation of natural resources in Bulgarian agriculture during post-communist transformation and EU integration (institutional, market, private, and public), and evaluates the impacts of EU CAP on environmental sustainability of farms of different juridical type, size, specialization and location. Finally, it suggests recommendations for improvement of public policies, strategies and modes of intervention, and private and collective strategies and actions for effective environmental protection

Mechanisms of Governance of Sustainable Development

In this paper we incorporate the interdisciplinary New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Behavioral and Political Sciences), and suggest a framework for analyzing the mechanisms of governance of sustainable development. The agricultural sector is used to illustrate the approach, test the framework, and support with examples. Firstly, we discuss the modern concepts and the economics of sustainability. Secondly, we present a new framework for analysis and improvement of the governance of sustainable development. This new approach takes into account the role of specific institutional environment; and the behavioral characteristics of individual agents; and the transaction costs associated with the various forms of governance; and the critical factors of economic activity and exchanges; and the comparative efficiency of market, private, public and hybrid modes; and the potential of production structures for adaptation; and the comparative efficiency of alternative modes for public intervention. Finally, we identify specific modes for environmental governance in Bulgarian agriculture; and access the efficiency of market, private and public modes; and estimate the prospects for evolution of environmental governance in the conditions of EU CAP implementation. Agrarian development is associated with specific (different from other European states) environmental challenges such as degradation and contamination of farmland, pollution of surface and ground waters, loss of biodiversity, significant greenhouse gas emissions etc. That is a result of the specific institutional and governing structure evolving in the sector during the past 20 years. Implementation of the common EU policies will have unlike results in “Bulgarian” conditions enlarging income, technological, social and environmental discrepancy between different farms, sub-sectors and regions. Dominating subsistence farming, production cooperatives, small-scale commercial farms, and large business firms will be highly sustainable in years to come.mechanisms of governance; sustainable development; institutions, market, private, public and hybrid modes of governance; transaction costs; agrarian sustainability; environmental governance; Bulgaria

Quasar optical variability: searching for interband time delays

Aims. The main purpose of this paper is to study time delays between the light variations in different wavebands for a sample of quasars. Measuring a reliable time delay for a large number of quasars may help constraint the models of their central engines. The standard accretion disk irradiation model predicts a delay of the longer wavelengths behind the shorter ones, a delay that depends on the fundamental quasar parameters. Since the black hole masses and the accretion rates are approximately known for the sample we use, one can compare the observed time delays with the expected ones. Methods. We applied the interpolation cross-correlation function (ICCF) method to the Giveon et al. sample of 42 quasars, monitored in two (B and R) colors, to find the time lags represented by the ICCF peaks. Different tests were performed to assess the influence of photometric errors, sampling, etc., on the final result. Results. We found that most of the objects show a delay in the red light curve behind the blue one (a positive lag), which on average for the sample is about +4 days (+3 for the median), although the scatter is significant. These results are broadly consistent with the reprocessing model, especially for the well-sampled objects. The normalized time-lag deviations do not seem to correlate significantly with other quasar properties, including optical, radio, or X-ray measurables. On the other hand, many objects show a clear negative lag, which, if real, may have important consequences for the variability models.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in A&

GOVERNING OF LABOR SUPPLY IN BULGARIAN FARMS

This is the second paper from a series of articles on governing of different types of transactions in Bulgarian farming applying the framework of New Institutional and Transaction Cost Economics. It is based on a large scale microeconomic data from 194 typical commercial farms of different sizes and types from all regions of the country. This study concentrates on factors and modes for organization of labor supply in Bulgarian farms. Structure of kind of labor (permanent, seasonal, irregular, others), and type of labor use (in production, in administration, in management, for protection, others), and labor source (own labor, family labor, hired labor, cooperative members, others) in farms of different types and sizes has been determined. Microeconomic factors responsible for various organizational and contract choices for labor supply (own cultivation, using of family labor, hiring of workers, cooperation etc.) have been specified. Dominant governing modes have been explained by comparative advantages for saving on transacting costs (for finding partners, contracting, monitoring of hired labor, conflict resolutions, renewal of contracts etc). Limits of farm extension (optimization) through effective alternative (to outside labor supply) modes for “internal” service, and inputs, and land supply have been determined. Transaction costs economizing framework has been used through analysis of: types of wage formation (time based, output based, mixed) for different categories of labor; reasons for hiring labor (extension of business, support of own labor, support of family labor, replace of family labor, others); ways of application of hired labor (in production, in administration, in management, in protection, others); personality of different types of hired labor (relatives; close friends; known before hiring; unknown before first hiring; same persons every time; from universities, agricultural schools etc; others); frequency of experiencing problems leading to suspension of labor contracts; main reasons for conflicts with hired labor (lack of qualification; lack of desire for hard work; lack of entrepreneurial spirit; cheating, stealing etc); kind of contracts with different types of labor (informal, written) and extend of specifications of contract obligations; ways of income formation (fixed monthly wages, daily based, output based, based on final year results, others) of different categories of labor in crop, livestock, services and management. Relative level of farms transaction costs associated with labor supply (for finding needed labor, negotiation and contracting, for directing and monitoring of hired labor, for contract enforcement and disputing etc.) has been determined. Besides high governing costs associated with labor contracts other factors restricting farm enlargement of Bulgarian farms as present stage are: high enforcement costs of contracts in general, and enormous credit supply and marketing costs. According to estimate of farm managers most important factors for future development of farms relate to improvement of institutional environment (guaranteed marketing, enforcement of Laws and private contracts, macro-economic stability, legislation framework, access to free markets) and own and family experience in farm management.type of labor and service contract, organization of labor, governing of labor and service supply, farm organization, transaction costs, transitional farming structure

Production and productivity of Bulgarian agriculture in post war years

This study is a first attempt to clarify major trends and factors of changes in production and productivity in Post-Second World War Bulgarian agriculture. It incorporates an interdisciplinary approach and specifies crucial institutional, economic, organizational, technological etc. factors affecting development of agricultural production and productivity. Firstly, evolution of agricultural production and productivity is analyzed, and effect of labor, land and livestock productivity on different productions assessed. Secondly, evolution and impact of main technological factors (application of chemicals, mechanization, irrigation, introduction of new varieties etc.) are examined. Third, stages in property rights development and restructuring of farms are presented, and their effects on production and productivity evaluated. Forth, paces in modernization of public policy, its key elements (central planning, price and trade regulations, support programs etc.) and implications for agriculture are identified. Fifth, evolution and role of the demands for farm products is assessed. Next, changes in labor quantity and composition, and their impact on agricultural production and productivity are scrutinized. Finally, effects of climate changes and weather extremes on agriculture are underlined.evolution of agricultural production, productivity; political, institutional, economic, organizational, international, technological, natural factors; post-second world war agriculture; Bulgaria

Post-communist Transformation in Bulgaria – Implications for Development of Agricultural Specialization and Farming Structures

This paper incorporates a new inter-disciplinary methodology of the New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics, and examines pace, factors and modes for post-communist agricultural specialization and farming structures development in Bulgaria. Firstly, it outlines the framework for analysis of economic specialization in transitional agriculture. Next, it presents the specific Bulgarian model for farming transformation characterizing with restitution of farmland in real borders and original locations, physical distribution of assets of ancient public farms into individual shares, rapid liberalization of markets and prices, and lack of public support to agriculture. Third, it specify factors for evolution of new farm structures and specialization such as badly specified and enforced property rights; big institutional, market and behavioral uncertainty; high assets specificity and dependency; lack of managerial experience; low incentives for long-term investment; ineffective public interventions etc. Next, it demonstrates how these factors affect organization and specialization of farming in the country explaining the evolution of a huge subsistence and part-time farming, production cooperation at a large scale, unprecedented concentration of resources in few business farms, widespread use of informal and integrated modes etc. Fifth, it analyzes the impact of transition on farm structures and agricultural specialization through changes in structure and share of agricultural GDP and employment, and distribution of activities between different types of farms. Finally, it clarifies efficiency of and extend of specialization in dominating large business farms, production cooperatives, and numerous small-scale unregistered farms.agricultural specialization, farm governance, transaction costs, comparative institutional analysis, Bulgarian agriculture

Needs, Modes and Efficiency of Economic Organizations and Public Interventions in Agriculture

There has been a fundamental development in theory and understanding of market, private, collective and public organizations in recent years. This paper incorporates achievements of the interdisciplinary New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Behavioral and Political Sciences) and suggests a framework for assessing the needs and efficiency of economic organizations and public interventions in agriculture. Our new approach includes: study of farm and other agrarian organizations as a governing rather than production structure; assessment of comparative efficiency of alternative market, contract, internal, and hybrid modes of governance; analysis of level of transaction costs and their institutional (distribution and enforcement of de-facto rights between individuals, groups, organizations), behavioral (agents preferences, ability, bounded rationality, tendency for opportunism, risk aversion, trust), dimensional (frequency, uncertainty, assets specificity, and appropriability of transactions), natural, and technological factors; determination of effective horizontal and vertical boundaries of farms and other agrarian organizations; specification of the economic role of government and the needs for public interventions in agrarian sector; assessment of comparative of alternative forms of public involvement in agrarian sector (partnership, regulation, taxation, assistance, provision, in house organization, fundamental property rights modernization). The paper provides new powerful tools for understanding the agrarian organizations and their efficiency, and for improvement of public policies, collective actions, farming and business strategies, and academic analyses in that important sector of social life.market, private and public modes of governance, efficiency of farms and agrarian organizations, agricultural policies, transaction costs, New Institutional Economics

Integration of dairy farms in supply chain in bulgaria

This paper presents a new business model for an effective market inclusion of numerous small-scale dairy farms developed by a private entrepreneur. Firstly, it gives insight on development and challenges of Bulgarian dairy sector. Next, it describes the innovation, identifies drivers and changes of inclusion, and assesses its efficiency and sustainability. Finally, it evaluates the possibilities for up-scaling of the model, and suggests business and policies recommendations. Major features of the model include: developing a competitive dairy processing enterprise for locally produced milk; installing milk collecting, cooling, and controlling facilities in the neighborhood and within farms; modernizing milk supply and processing quality according to the top industry standards; building an effective system for governing relations (coordination, stimulation, control, conflict resolution) with individual farmers; developing a company mark and reputation for high quality products; introducing a great variety of specific, original and locally produced products into regional, national, and international markets. Critical factors for evolution of the model have been identified as: private entrepreneurship, experience and skills, technological discipline, available resources, introduction of innovations, effective governance (control, incentives, adjustment) of vertical relations, building a good reputation, development of markets and formal regulations. Integration of farmers has been associated with needs of progressive changes in breed of animals, technology of production, and labor organization, and led to higher income, quality of production, stability of sells and prices, care for animals and environment, and possibility for modernization and adaptation to formal requirements.chain governance, vertical integration, business innovation, farmers inclusion, dairy farming, Bulgaria

A case of integration of organic dairy sheep farm in value chains in Bulgaria

This paper presents the state of integration of small scale dairy farms in value chains in Bulgaria and a case study on organic farming as a new prospective approach for market inclusion. It outlines the evolution of dairy sheep farming and organic production; analyzes the pace, factors and impacts of development of a successful organic dairy sheep farm from North-West Bulgaria; specifies driving factors and prospects of small-scale organic farming development; assesses possibilities for replication of positive experience in other farms, and suggests recommendations for improvement of public policies and farming strategies.farmers inclusion, supply-chain management, organic farming, dairy farming, Bulgaria